Adding seasonings to pig feed can make pigs grow faster

Pigs have a well-developed sense of taste, with more than 15,000 taste cells in the oral cavity. Adding seasonings (flavoring agents) to feed can promote the secretion of the salivary glands, gastric glands and pancreas, increase feed intake and promote growth and development. The following seasonings are currently used more often.

Sweet seasonings

Adding 0.05 g of saccharin per kilogram of the daily ration of finishing pigs can increase daily weight gain by 6.4% and reduce feed consumption by about 5%. Adding a certain amount of saccharin to the daily ration of lactating sows can prevent anorexia and excessive loss of body condition during lactation, and increase milk production.

Umami seasonings

If pigs are fed wet mixed feed, adding a certain amount of monosodium glutamate (MSG) to the daily ration can increase daily weight gain by 5%-8%; feeding pigs the residue left after extracting MSG can increase daily weight gain by more than 4.5%, significantly lower the feed-to-meat ratio and noticeably improve economic returns.

Pungent seasonings

There are many types of pungent seasonings, and the commonly used ones are garlic, chili pepper and black pepper. Garlic can increase appetite, aid digestion and kill bacteria and parasites; chili pepper can promote fat metabolism and improve blood circulation; black pepper stimulates the sense of taste, promotes appetite and improves digestion. Garlic powder is generally added at 0.2%-0.5% in piglet feed, and chili powder can be added at 0.3%-0.4% in the daily ration of finishing pigs.

Aromatic seasonings

Adding aromatic feed to the daily ration of pigs does not mean adding only aromatic agents, but mainly adding fat, oils and other aromatic feed ingredients. Adding 2.6%, 5.2% and 8% fat to the daily ration of finishing pigs gave daily weight gains of 732 g, 750 g and 768 g respectively, with feed-to-weight ratios of 3.1:1, 3.12:1 and 2.98:1, while the control group without added fat had a daily weight gain of 709 g and a feed-to-weight ratio of 3.58:1.

Salty seasonings

In production, salt is generally used as a salty seasoning. It can effectively improve feed palatability, increase appetite, help maintain the body's metabolic balance, participate in the formation of gastric acid, ensure the pH value for pepsin, and improve daily weight gain and feed utilization. It is generally added at 0.25%-0.4% in piglet daily rations, and at 0.5% in the daily rations of breeding pigs and finishing pigs. Long-term salt deficiency can reduce appetite, slow growth and even cause pica and hair loss in pigs, while excessive feeding can sometimes cause salt poisoning.