Effects of dietary bacillus subtilis supplementation as probiotics on growth performance and nutrients digestibility in fattening pigs

Abstract

Objective: This research examined the effectiveness of two brands of probiotics in pig fattening diets, over three periods (starter, grower and finisher) on growth performance and nutrients digestibility. Materials and Methods: A total of 500 crossbred pigs [(Yorkshire-Landrace)×Duroc], with an average initial body weight (BW) of 22.70±1.2 kg at 56-58 days, were divided into five dietary treatments, according to a completely randomized design. The dietary treatments included, T1: basal diet (control group), T2: basal diet+Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) (1.0×10 12 CFU kg¯ 1 ) at level 0.1% (Pro A) and basal diet+B. subtilis (7.0×10 9 CFU kg¯ 1 ) at levels 0.0125%, 0.0250 and 0.0375% (Sanizyme®) were represented in T3, T4 and T5, respectively. Results: The results from these experiments show that the addition of two brands of probiotics improved the digestion and utilization of carbohydrates, proteins, fat, fiber and energy in feed components in the starter and grower periods of pigs (p<0.05). In the overall experimental time frame, improvements were found in the growth performance of average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) in pig fattening diets supplemented with probiotics however, no significant differences (p>0.05) were observed when compared with the control group. Conclusion: The addition of B. subtilis creates a favorable response on growth performance and feed utilization and presented the highest economic return when compared with the control group.