Feeding thermally processed spray-dried egg whites, singly or in combination with 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol or peroxidized soybean oil on growth performance, digestibility, intestinal morphology, and oxidative status in nursery pigs.

Two experiments (EXP) determined the susceptibility of spray dried egg white (SDEW) to oxidation (heating at 100°C for 72 h; thermally processed, TP) and whether feeding TP-SDEW, 15-acetyldeoxynivalenol (15-ADON), or peroxidized soybean oil (PSO), singularly or in combination, would affect pig performance, intestinal morphology, digestibility, and markers of oxidative stress in nursery pigs. In EXP 1, 32 pigs (7.14 kg body weight, BW) were placed individually into pens and fed diets containing either 12% SDEW, 6% TP-SDEW plus 6% SDEW, or 12% TP-SDEW. Performance was measured at the end of the 24-d feeding period with biological samples harvested following euthanasia. In EXP 2, 64 pigs (10.6 kg BW) were placed individually into pens and fed diets containing 7.5% soybean oil or PSO, 10% SDEW or TP-SDEW, and diets without or with 3 mg 15-ADON/kg diet in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Performance was measured at the end of the 28-d feeding period with biological samples harvested following euthanasia. In EXP 1, dietary treatment did not affect pig performance, apparent ileal digestibility of amino acids (AA), apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of gross energy (GE) or nitrogen (N), ileal crypt depth, or villi height:crypt depth ratio (P > 0.05). The effects of feeding TP-SDEW on protein damage in the plasma and liver (P < 0.05) were variable. In EXP 2, there were no 3-way interactions and only one 2-way interactions among dietary treatments on parameters evaluated. There was no effect of feeding TP-SDEW on ATTD of GE or N, intestinal morphology, or on oxidative markers in the plasma, liver, or ileum (P > 0.05). There was no effect of feeding diets containing added 15-ADON on ATTD of GE, ileal AA digestibility, intestinal morphology, oxidative markers in the plasma, liver, or ileum, or pig performance (P > 0.05). Feeding pigs diets containing PSO resulted in reduced ATTD of GE and N, plasma vitamin E concentration, and pig performance (P < 0.01) but did not affect intestinal morphology or oxidative markers in the liver or ileum (P > 0.05). In conclusion, it was difficult to induce protein oxidation in SDEW and when achieved there were limited effects on performance, digestibility, intestinal morphology, and oxidative status. Furthermore, singly adding 15-A-DON to a diet had no effect on the animal. Lastly, adding PSO reduces animal performance, but has limited effect on digestibility, intestinal morphology, and oxidative status in nursery pigs.