Fermentation products of Cordyceps militaris enhance performance and modulate immune response of weaned piglets

I wonder if you could elaborate on no. of piglets per pen and no. of replicates per treatment?

Please can you explain further what is meant by "The feed conversion ratio responded in a QUARDRATIC manner". In other words does the use of 1000 to 1500mg/kg feed supplimentation of CMF improve on the coversion ratio of weaned piglets?. Also, is it possible for the Pigs to record higher daily weight gain while their feed conversion ratio reduces?

Thank you for your questions, this answer is on behave of the author Dr. Cheng. To answer Dr. Hansen's question: There are 36 piglets per treatment group, in which 9 piglets is assigned in each pen. Therefore in total 4 pens/ replicates are there in each treatment group. To answer Dr. Tugbiyele's question: The Quardratic's manner means that the performance increases along with the dosage up to the peak point. In this study, it is observed that the body weight gain increases from 21.2 kg to 22.5 kg under the dosage from 500-1000 mg/kg. However, under the dosage of 1500 mg/kg, the body weight gain dropped to 21.6 kg. According to the result of this study, the optimal dosage is somewhere between 1000 to 1500 mg/kg considering the FCR and body weight gain. Further experiments are needed to understand the trend under the dosage range between 1000 to 1500 mg/kg. The formulation to calculate feed conversion ratio is feed/ weight gain. If the weight gain increased and the feed intake didn't increase, the FCR will be improved. More discussion is welcome.

Debby Yen, thanks for elaborating on the no. of replicates. How did you consider statistical power when you planned this trial?

How many cordycepin in CMF?