Effects of a Gluco-oligosaccharide on Growth Performance of Nursery Pigs

Dear Colleagues, these are interesting results confirming our research of end of the 1990ies: we investigated in a trial with weaning piglets the effect of the so called "Moro's Carrot Soup"on the incidence and score of diarrhea in comparison to the antibiotic flavophospholipol. The results with the carrot soup - and later on with isolated purified short chain galacturonic acids (gluco-oligosaccharides) - have been even better than with the antibiotic. The effect observed in the intestine has been: adherence/adhesion of the pathogenic E.coli (EHEC) with their fimbri to the short chain of approx. 3 galacturonic acids as analogues to the mucosa surface --> and transport of EHEC with the litter out of the body. (short chain galacturonides have been produced through controlled hydrolysis of pectines, in the carrot soup by boiling the carrots over a longer period). This is now a well established use of galacturonides to substitute antibiotics in animal feeding, especially of weaning piglets. The only hurdle is that antibiotics are still cheaper and vets prescribe antibiotics as drug against diarrhea - instead of prevention with galacturonic acids as feed additives... - but that's another story! Regards Chlodwig M. FRANZ Prof. emeritus Dr. habil., VetmedUniversity Vienna, Austria