책임운영기관 농촌진흥청 국립축산과학원 (로고)

Traditionally, pig farms have frequently used antibiotics to enhance disease resistance. However, the frequent use of antibiotics has led to various issues, including public health concerns about antibiotic-resistant bacteria, prompting stricter regulations on antibiotic use. Consequently, there is a need to develop immune-modulatory substances to replace antibiotics and enhance immunity in piglets. In this study, changes in the immune status of piglets were examined by adding immune-modulatory substances (Parachlorella spp., Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. tolerans, and trifoliate orange peel extract) to their feed. Over a period of 4 weeks, the addition of these immune-modulatory substances showed no significant effects on feed efficiency and feed intake. Furthermore, there were no significant effects on the blood metabolic parameters and blood cell counts of the piglets. all the immune-modulatory substances used in this study did not significantly affect the morphological changes in the jejunal tissue of the piglets. However, the addition of trifoliate orange peel extract to piglet feed resulted in an increase in both the inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-2 and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 compared to the control group. These results suggest that the addition of trifoliate orange peel extract to piglet feed may affect the immune development of piglets. Additionally, the observed decrease in specific Prevotella and increase in Oxalobacter imply that the addition of trifoliate orange peel extract to piglet feed may help gut health in piglets. Collectively, the results of this study suggest that the addition of trifoliate orange peel extract can improve gut health in piglets and serve as a safe feed additive without adverse effects on the animals.