What nutrients does the pig's body need (Part 1)

Mastering the nutrients needed by the pig's body and the content and functions of various nutritional components can promote the pig's growth and development, enhance its disease resistance, regulate the pig's normal physiological functions, raise the level of @#@227@#@ production and reduce production costs. The nutrients that sustain the life of the pig's body are substances such as protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. Various nutrients have different functions, which are briefly described as follows. (1) Protein Protein is the main component that makes up the various tissues and organs of the pig's body, such as skin, muscle, blood, internal organs, bristles and hoof shells, all of which are composed of protein, and bones also contain a relatively large amount of protein. The pig's body needs to constantly use protein to repair, replace and grow these tissues, and to maintain the metabolism, growth, reproduction and milk secretion of various tissues; various digestive fluids, enzymes and hormones also require protein; when the pig's body has insufficient heat, protein can also be used to produce heat energy. It can thus be seen that protein is the most important nutrient element for the pig's body and one that is often prone to deficiency. Protein is composed of more than 20 kinds of amino acids. Amino acids fall into two categories: one is amino acids that the pig's body itself can synthesize from other nutrients, called non-essential amino acids; the other is amino acids that the pig's body itself cannot synthesize, or cannot synthesize in sufficient amounts, and must obtain from feed to maintain normal physiological functions, called essential amino acids. Amino acids are divided into lysine, tryptophan, histidine, phenylalanine, leucine, isoleucine, threonine, methionine, valine and arginine, etc. Protein in feed can only be absorbed and used by the pig's body after being broken down into amino acids in the pig's body. In the pig's diet, the more essential amino acids a protein contains and the more suitable its proportions, the higher the utilization rate of the various amino acids. Such protein is high-quality protein for pigs; otherwise, it is low-quality protein. The protein content of animal feed is greater than that of plant feed, therefore this should be grasped and applied in the formulation of pig rations. (2) Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are the raw material that constitutes the cellular tissues of the pig's body. They can regulate metabolism in the pig's body, and at the same time are the heat energy consumed by metabolic processes such as maintaining the pig's body temperature, respiration, blood circulation and digestion, as well as the heat energy needed for the pig's growth, reproduction and activity. The carbohydrates supplied to the pig's body basically come from plant feed. When the carbohydrates in the feed are insufficient, the pig's body fat, or even protein, must be used to supply heat energy; at this time the pig will become emaciated, to the point of being unable to gain weight and reproduce normally. On the contrary, when carbohydrates are in excess, fat accumulation will form in the pig's body, making the pig fatten. (3) Fat Fat is both a component of the pig's body and can supply heat energy. Its heat production is 2.25 times that of the same amount of carbohydrates or protein. Excess nutrients entering the pig's body will be converted into fat and stored in the body, forming subcutaneous fat and leaf fat. It has the effect of reducing body heat loss and protecting the internal organs. In addition, various organs and tissues of the pig's body, such as the brain and nerves, blood, muscle and skin, also contain some special lipids, phospholipids and sterols, etc. They are necessary for constituting various cells and regulating metabolic processes. Fat is also the solvent for the absorption and transport of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and carotene in the pig's body. When the pig has insufficient nutrition, it cannot absorb the vitamins A, D, E and K in the feed. For example, the fatty acids needed for the growth of young pigs, such as linoleic acid, linolenic acid and arachidonic acid, cannot be synthesized in the body and must be obtained from feed. But the fat in the pig's body is mainly converted from carbohydrates. When the fat content of the pig's diet is lower than 0.06%, symptoms of fat deficiency will appear, while the fat content of general feed far exceeds this level, so it is unnecessary to supply large amounts of fat to the pig's body from feed. When the fat content in the feed of young pigs exceeds 6%, it will also cause indigestion and diarrhea. (4) Minerals Minerals are components of the pig's body cells and can also regulate the body's physiological functions. Calcium and phosphorus are indispensable components for forming bones and teeth. If the diet of a pregnant sow lacks calcium and phosphorus, embryonic development will be hindered. Soft tissues and body fluids, as well as muscle, skin, blood, digestive fluids, hormones and milk, also contain a certain amount of mineral elements and participate in various metabolic activities in the body. The mineral elements needed by the pig's body include calcium, phosphorus, sodium, chlorine, copper, iron, cobalt, zinc, iodine, manganese, magnesium, sulfur, potassium, fluorine, selenium and molybdenum, etc. In ordinary feed, 8 elements, namely calcium, phosphorus, sodium, chlorine, copper, iron, cobalt and zinc, are prone to deficiency, while the remaining elements are generally not prone to deficiency.