{"id":101478,"date":"2022-06-15T12:00:11","date_gmt":"2022-06-15T10:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ew-nutrition.com\/acidifiers-a-smart-way-to-support-piglets-after-weaning\/"},"modified":"2025-07-30T09:47:35","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T07:47:35","slug":"acidifiers-a-smart-way-to-support-piglets-after-weaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ew-nutrition.com\/en-uk\/acidifiers-a-smart-way-to-support-piglets-after-weaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Acidifiers support piglets after weaning"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Dr. Inge Heinzl<\/strong>, Editor, EW Nutrition<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In piglet production, high productivity, meaning high numbers of healthy and well-performing piglets weaned per sow and year, is the primary target. Diarrhea around weaning often gets in the way of achieving this goal.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Up to the ban of antibiotic growth promoters in 2006, antibiotics were often applied prophylactically to help piglets overcome this critical time. Zinc oxide (ZnO) application is another measure that cannot be used anymore to prevent piglet diarrhea. Effective alternatives are required.<\/p>\n

Weaning – a critical point in piglets\u2019 life<\/h3>\n

Weaning stress is well-known to have a negative impact on the balance of the intestinal microflora and gastrointestinal functions (Miller et al., 1985<\/a>)<\/span>. Suckling piglets have a limited ability to produce hydrochloric acid, but nature has a solution to compensate for this inadequacy. The lactobacilli present in the stomach can use the lactose in the sow’s milk to produce lactic acid (Easter, 1988<\/a>)<\/span>. In nature, the piglets would start to eat small amounts of solid feed at about three weeks when the sow’s milk production no longer covers their nutrient demand. By increasing the feed intake, the piglets stimulate hydrogen chloride (HCl) production in their stomachs.<\/p>\n

In piglet production, where weaning occurs at three or four weeks of age, the piglets are still not eating considerable amounts of solid feed. It is often the case that 50 % of the piglets take feed at the earliest after 24 h, and 10 % accept the first feed only after 48 h (Brooks, 2001<\/a><\/span>). Additionally, hard grains in the diet can physically damage the small intestine wall, reducing villus height and crypt depth (Kim et al., 2005<\/a><\/span>).<\/p>\n

Only a minor production of HCl, no more lactose supply for the lactobacilli, varying feed intake, and high buffering capacity of the feed lead to a pH of >5 in the stomach.<\/p>\n

The higher stomach pH is partly responsible for problems after weaning<\/h3>\n

A pH higher than 5, besides causing direct effects on the microflora in the stomach, has consequences for the whole digestive tract and digestion.<\/p>\n

A high pH is favorable for certain microorganisms, including coliforms (Sissons, 1989) and other acid-sensitive bacteria such as Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella typhi, Campylobacter jejuni, and V. cholerae (Smith, 2003).<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n
    \u00a0Lower activity of proteolytic enzymes<\/h5>\n

    In the stomach, the conversion of pepsinogen to pepsin, which is responsible for protein digestion, is catalyzed under acid conditions (Sanny et al., 1975<\/a><\/span>). Pepsin works optimally at two pH levels: pH 2 and pH 3.5 (Taylor, 1959<\/a><\/span>). With increasing pH, the activity decreases; at pH 6, it stops. Therefore, a high pH can lead to poor digestion and undigested protein arriving in the intestine. There, it can be used as “feed” for harmful bacteria, leading to their proliferation. Barrow et al. (1977)<\/a><\/span> found higher counts of coliforms in piglets’ intestinal tract two days after weaning, while the number of lactobacilli was depressed.<\/p>\n

    In the lower parts of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), the final products of the pepsin protein digestion are needed to stimulate the secretion of pancreatic proteolytic enzymes. If no final products arrive, the enzymes are not activated, and the inadequate protein digestion continues. Additionally, gastric acid is the main stimulant for bicarbonate secretion in the pancreas, neutralizing gastric acid and providing an optimal pH environment for the digestive enzymes working in the duodenum.<\/li>\n

  2. \n
    Expedited digesta transport<\/h5>\n

    The stomach pH also influences the transport of digesta. The acidity of the chyme leaving the stomach and arriving in the small intestine is decisive for the amount of digesta being transferred from the stomach to the small intestine. Acid-sensitive receptors provide feedback regulation to prevent the stomach from emptying until the duodenal chyme can be neutralized by pancreatic or other secretions (Pohl et al., 2008<\/a><\/span>). Therefore, a higher pH in the stomach leads to a faster transport of the digesta, resulting in worse feed digestion.<\/li>\n

  3. \n
    Proliferation of microorganisms<\/h5>\n

    A high pH is favorable for certain microorganisms, including coliforms (Sissons, 1989<\/a>) and other acid-sensitive bacteria such as Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella typhi, Campylobacter jejuni, <\/em>and V. cholerae<\/em> (Smith, 2003<\/a>).<\/p>\n

    Elevated stomach pH + incomplete immune system = diarrhea<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Acidifiers can mitigate the adverse effects of weaning on piglets<\/h3>\n

    To overcome this critical time of weaning and maintain performance, acidifiers can be a helpful tool. They improve gut health, stimulate immunity, and serve as nutrient sources \u2013 while also positively affecting feed and water hygiene.<\/p>\n

    What are acidifiers?<\/h5>\n

    Acidifiers’ role in pig nutrition has evolved from feed preservatives to stomach pH stabilizers, compensating for young pigs’ reduced digestive capacity (Ferronato and Prandini, 2020<\/a>). They are now used to replace antibiotic growth promoters and ZnO, which were applied for a long time to mitigate the negative effects of weaning.<\/p>\n

    In general, both organic and inorganic acids and their salts feature in animal nutrition. They can be added to the feed or the water.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/h5>\n
    Organic acids: Commonly used with good results<\/h5>\n

    Feed acidifiers are usually organic acids, including fatty and amino acids. Their carboxyl functional group is responsible for their acidic specificity as feed additives (Pearlin et al.,2019<\/a><\/span>). Their pKa, the pH where 50 % of the acid occurs in a dissociated form, is decisive for their antimicrobial action. In animal nutrition, acids with pKa 3-5 are typically used (Kirchge\u00dfner and Roth, 1991<\/a><\/span>).<\/p>\n

    Organic acids used as feed additives can be divided into three groups:<\/p>\n