Effect of Functional Oils or Probiotics on Performance and Microbiota Profile of Newly Weaned Piglets

The study aimed to evaluate a commercial blend of functional oils based on liquid from the cashew nutshell and castor oil as a growth promoter in newly weaned piglets. A total of 225 piglets, castrated males and females with 28 days of age were randomly distributed in pens with 15 animals composing three treatments and five repetitions. The treatments were: control (without the inclusion of additive), probiotics, or functional oils. The performance was evaluated. At 50 days of age, a pool of fresh feces from 3 animals/repetition was collected to perform the sequencing of microbiota using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Supplementation with functional oils improved the piglets' daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio (P < 0.05) in the first weeks of the experiment, which resulted in higher final live weight (P < 0.05) in the phase when compared to the control treatment. The animals that received probiotics showed intermediate performance. Both additives were effective in modulating groups central to intestinal health, such as Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae . The functional oils were more effective in reducing pathogenic bacteria, such as Campylobacter and Escherichia coli . In conclusion, the use of functional oils optimized performance and effectively modulated the microbiota of newly weaned piglets.