BioProject

Establishment of a beneficial microbiota profile for piglets as early in life as possible is important as it will impact their future health. More...

Establishment of a beneficial microbiota profile for piglets as early in life as possible is important as it will impact their future health. In the current study, we hypothesized that resistant starch (RS) provided in the maternal diet during gestation and lactation will be fermented in their hindgut, which would favourably modify their milk and/or microbiota composition and that it would in turn affect piglets’ microbiota profile and their absorptive and immune abilities. In this experiment, 33% of pea starch was used in the diet of gestating and lactating sows and compared to control sows. Their microbiota and milk composition were determined and the microbiota, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) production and gut health related parameters of the piglets were measured two days before weaning. In addition, their overall performances and post-weaning faecal score were also assessed. The RS diet modulated the microbiota of the sows during gestation, increasing the Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio and the relative abundance of beneficial genera like Bifidobacterium but these differences disappeared during lactation and were not transmitted to the offspring. Milk protein and lactose concentrations were impacted by the diet, without an impact on piglets’ bodyweight or diarrhoea frequency post-weaning. Moreover, the intestinal morphology measured as villus height and crypt depths, and the inflammatory cytokines in the intestine of the piglets were not differentially expressed between maternal treatments. Only ZO-1 was more expressed in the ileum of piglets born from RS sows, suggesting a better closure of the mucosa tight junctions. It is concluded that changes in the microbiota transferred from mother to piglets due to the inclusion of RS in the maternal diet are rather limited even though milk composition was affected. Less...