6 Story Idea? Contact Paul.Nolan@Farms.com Better Pork | December 2023 ACID BINDING CAPACITY A KEY PARAMETER IN WEANED PIG DIET FORMULATION. ACID BINDING CAPACITY-4: By MOHSEN ABEDIN, PHD. The post-weaning period is a critical and often stressful phase in a young pig's life, drawing significant attention to optimizing the gastrointestinal tract for improved lifetime production and overall health. Newly weaned piglets experience a substantial shift in their dietary composition, transitioning from a liquid milk, rich in highly digestible nutrients, to a dry, plant-based diet. The acidic environment in the stomach plays a crucial role in facilitating the digestion and absorption of nutrients from feed. However, the stomach of young piglets has limited acid-producing capacity during this critical period. The inadequate production of gastric acid in piglets during this phase can have detrimental consequences, resulting in reduced performance and compromised intestinal health. In Canada, particularly in the eastern regions, it's common for pigs to be weaned between 18 and 21 days of age, at a stage when their gastrointestinal tract is still relatively underdeveloped. Figure 1 illustrates that the production of hydrochloric acid in a pig's stomach remains limited until the pig reaches seven to eight weeks of age. In suckling pigs, the primary source of acidification in the stomach is bacterial fermentation of lactose in milk. When piglets transition to solid feed at weaning, there is a notable increase in gastric pH, which can reach levels as high as 5.0 for several days post-weaning. Maintaining a low stomach pH is crucial for effective protein digestion. Also, elevated gastric pH levels create Trouw photo
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