Maternal L‑glutamine supplementation during late gestation improves piglet birth weight and litter uniformity under commercial conditions.

Abstract In order to assess the effects of glutamine (Gln) supplementation on sow and suckling offspring performance, eighty gestating multiparous sows were used in a completely randomized experimental design and a 2 × 2 experimental design in late gestation and lactation, respectively. Females were assigned to a control diet or a Gln-supplemented diet (1% of L-glutamine) from 85 days of gestation until farrowing. In lactation, dietary treatment groups were CON_C: without Gln supplementation; CON_G: Gln only during lactation; GLN_C: Gln only during gestation; GLN_ GLN: Gln during gestation and lactation. At d 105 of gestation, sows fed Gln supplemented diet had greater backfat thickness at point P1 (P = 0.039) and loin depth at point P2 (P = 0.099) than control sows. Litter born from Gln supplemented sows tended to be heavier at birth (P = 0.080) compared to control litters, reducing the probability of piglets weighing less than 1.5 kg. In addition, litters from supplemented sows had a lower standard deviation of BW at birth (P = 0.002). There were no effects of dietary treatments during lactation period. Maternal Gln supplementation during late gestation improved piglet weight and litter uniformity at birth without affecting sow body composition after farrowing.