Dietary supplementation with branched-chain amino acids enhances milk production by lactating sows and the growth of suckling piglets

Table 11 Effects of supplementing branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) to the diets of sows on the concentrations of metabolites in the plasma of sows and piglets and in milk during lactation

Variable	Control			1.535% BCAA			3.07% BCAA			Pooled SEM	P-value
Variable	d 3	d 15	d 29	d 3	d 15	d 29	d 3	d 15	d 29	Pooled SEM	Treatment	Day	T × D¹
Sow’s plasma
Ammonia, μmol/L	60	62	62	61	64	65	64	67	68	6.4	0.372	0.665	1.00
Urea, mmol/L	2.88	2.97	3.07	2.74	2.83	2.94	2.59	2.68	2.80	0.28	0.224	0.487	1.00
Glucose, mmol/L	5.38	5.41	5.53	5.47	5.51	5.55	5.59	5.64	5.69	0.12	0.018	0.261	0.99
Lactate, mmol/L	1.27	1.49	1.69	1.28	1.52	1.76	1.25	147	1.66	0.21	0.979	< 0.001	1.00
Pyruvate, μmol/L	135	148	161	136	146	166	134	148	170	14	0.963	< 0.001	0.987
Piglet’s plasma
Ammonia, μmol/L	64	65	65	66	65	67	66	68	69	2.6	0.173	0.607	1.00
Urea, mmol/L	2.37	2.57	2.79	2.36	2.45	2.55	2.33	2.42	2.51	0.25	0.533	0.200	0.964
Glucose, mmol/L	5.32	5.34	5.44	5.41	5.64	5.73	5.65	5.84	5.84	0.13	< 0.001	0.015	0.723
Lactate, mmol/L	2.37	2.38	2.4	2.44	2.44	2.45	2.52	2.49	2.51	0.15	0.367	0.987	1.00
Pyruvate, μmol/L	154	155	156	157	157	157	158	159	160	10	0.807	0.976	1.00
Sow’s milk
Ammonia, mmol/L	1.59	1.64	1.66	1.65	1.71	1.72	1.70	1.78	1.81	0.17	0.383	0.677	1.00
Urea, mmol/L	7.23	4.79	5.26	7.04	4.65	5.09	6.92	4.67	5.14	0.58	0.832	< 0.001	0.997
Glucose, mmol/L	0.54	0.589	0.592	0.577	0.62	0.629	0.574	0.633	0.64	0.06	0.384	0.163	1.00
Lactate, mmol/L	0.142	0.17	0.195	0.136	0.167	0.192	0.147	0.175	0.199	0.03	0.909	0.026	1.00
Pyruvate, μmol/L	65	67	73	67	65	74	62	69	79	9.4	0.937	0.111	0.932

Values are means with pooled SEM, n = 10 sows/treatment group for plasma and milk, n = 20 piglets/treatment group
Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA
¹Treatment (T), Day (D), and Treatment × Day (T × D) interaction

ISSN: 2049-1891