Dietary inclusion of fibrous corn silages reduces gastric mucosa damage in fattening heavy pigs

Dietary inclusion of fibrous corn silages reduces gastric mucosa damage in fattening heavy pigs | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Dietary inclusion of fibrous corn silages reduces gastric mucosa damage in fattening heavy pigs Mauro Spanghero, Matteo Braidot, Massimo Orioles, Chiara Sarnataro, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4558313/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 22 Nov, 2024 Read the published version in Porcine Health Management → Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Several surveys conducted at slaughter sites have highlighted that gastric lesions are a widespread issue in fattening pigs, mainly due to feeding regimes. In fact, diets with small particle sizes and low fibre contents guarantee high digestibility and performance but generate more rapid stomach emptying with a negative effect on gastric mucosa integrity. Providing fattening pigs with fibrous materials (e.g., straw provided in racks) or coarse fibrous ingredients (e.g., coarse silages) reduced the presence of gastric ulcers. The present research compares a traditional corn-soy-based diet with an experimental diet where bran and a portion of corn meal were substituted with whole ear and whole plant corn silages at the maximum dosages permitted by new Protected Designation of Origin for Italian dry-cured ham (20 and 10% of DM, respectively). The aim of this study was to examine the impact of the inclusion of corn silages in the diet on the productive performance of heavy Italian pigs and their ability to mitigate gastric mucosa damage. Results The growth performances were satisfactory (750-800 g/d) given the advanced interval of growth of animals (from 120 to 180 kg). However, the inclusion of corn silages tended to reduce the growth rate by 5-6% due to the reduction of organic matter digestibility, without compromising the slaughter traits or the back-fat fatty acid profile. The experimental diet substantially affected both stomach development and mucosal integrity. The first consequence was an increase in stomach weight of approximately 6% ( P < 0.01) but the most notable advantage of coarse feeding was a reduction in stomach damage severity, with a low number of cases with higher scores in animals fed coarse materials ( P < 0.01). Conclusions The dietary inclusion of corn silages (30% of diet DM) is effective in decreasing the severity of stomach damage in finishing heavy pigs. Based on the performance of the feeding trial, the perspective of feeding heavy pigs corn silage should consider specific agronomic and harvesting techniques to improve digestibility and not reduce the growth rate. Heavy pig Corn silages Gastritis Hair steroids Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 1. Introduction Several surveys conducted at slaughter sites have highlighted that the presence of gastric lesions is a widespread issue in fattening pigs. Swaby and Gregory ( 2012 ) analyzed and scored approximately 10 thousand stomachs, obtaining an overall prevalence of gastric lesions of around 80%, with an incidence of 73% of ‘mild’ lesions. Cybulski et al. ( 2021 ) examined 32 thousand stomachs from different farms and assessed gastric injuries in 72% of the total samples taken into account. Helbing et al. ( 2022 ) reported that 61% of pigs (one thousand subjects controlled) showed lesions ranging from mild to severe with no improvements compared to a previous survey conducted in 2005 in Switzerland. In the Italian context, Gottardo et al. ( 2017 ) documented that 21% of more than 20 thousand heavy pig stomachs controlled at slaughter presented mild or severe ulceration. There are different factors (such as density, stress, and transport) that can be linked to the occurrence of gastric mucosa injury, but the feeding regime is the most important factor. Recently, Cybulski et al. ( 2024 ) reported that only a few nondietary risk variables were associated with the incidence of stomach damage in finishing pigs. In contrast, several studies have demonstrated that diets with small particle sizes and low fiber contents guarantee high digestibility and performance but generate more rapid stomach emptying with a negative effect on gastric mucosa integrity (Millet et al., 2010 , 2012 ; Möβeler et al., 2014). Exposure to low pH, caused by rapid gastric transit, can lead to the development of parakeratosis in the pars oesophagea (OA) of the stomach, which commonly evolves through fissures, erosions, and ulcerations. The squamous epithelium of this region has no buffering capacity, thus making it highly susceptible to attack by increased gastric acidity (Szabó et al., 2023). Providing fattening pigs with fibrous materials (e.g., straw provided in racks) or coarse fibrous ingredients (e.g., coarse silages) reduced the presence of gastric ulcers (Di Martino et al., 2013 ; Friman et al., 2024 ; Mason et al., 2013 ). In Italy, pigs are mainly slaughtered at a high body weight (BW) for cured ham production (carcass weight between 110 and 168 kg). In the late finishing phase (e.g., above 80 kg of BW), heavy pigs can digest fibrous feeds rather efficiently (Galassi et al., 2005 , 2017 , 2019 ) and have a well-developed gut. Moreover, coarse fibrous materials could contrast rapid gastric emptiness after a meal, protecting the stomach mucosa from gastric hydrochloric acid. Therefore, recent dietary rules for fattening heavy pigs in Italy for the production of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) dry-cured ham (European Commission, 2023) authorize the use of corn silages, such as whole ear and whole plant corn silages (WECS and WPCS, respectively). The scientific interest in feeding practices for heavy pigs should be wide and not limited to the areas of heavy pig production (mainly Italy but also Spain and the Balkan countries) because there is an overall tendency to increase pig weight at slaughter. In the United States and Canada, pig slaughter weight has been progressively growing without affecting meat quality (Price et al., 2022 ; Wu et al., 2017 ), and the expected increase will generate carcasses weighing approximately 118 kg by 2050. The present research compares a traditional corn-soy-based diet (CTR) with a diet in which bran and a portion of corn meal were substituted with WECS and WPCS (SIL) at the maximum dosages permitted by new PDO constraints (20 and 10% of DM, respectively). The aim of this study was to examine the impact of the inclusion of corn silage in the diet on the productive performance of heavy Italian pigs and its ability to mitigate gastric mucosa damage. 2. Materials and methods 2.2 Feeding trial and digestibility measures The feeding trial was divided into two successive identical experimental periods (blocks) of 70 days each. In each period, 18 “Italian Large White × Italian Landrace” barrows (about seven months of age and 128 kg BW) were divided into six groups of three pigs that were homogeneous for BW and kept in six pens (3 × 3 m, partially slatted). During the first experimental period, pens were randomly assigned to CTR and SIL diets (three pens/dietary treatment), and the same assignment was followed during the second period to test each dietary treatment in six pens throughout the trial. The CTR diet contained corn meal, barley meal, wheat bran, supplement and brewer yeast, while in the SIL diet, part of the corn (21% dry matter, DM) and all the wheat bran were substituted with WECS and WPCS (20 and 10% DM), as detailed in Table 1 . The two diets were equalized in terms of crude protein (CP) by increasing the amount of soybean meal from 90 to 120 g/kg in the SIL diet. Each pen was equipped with a faucet for drinking water and three separate troughs to avoid competition for feeding, the daily DM intake (DMI) was restricted to 77.1 g/kg BW 0.75 , and rations were manually fed in equal portions at 08:00 and 16:00. The trial started with an initial BW of 128 ± 6.9 kg. The weight of the pigs and the average daily gain (ADG) were monitored at the halfway point and at the end of the trial. The BW and pen feed intake of the pigs were used to calculate the ADG, average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed-to-gain ratio (F:G). During the initial and final weightings, hair samples were obtained from each animal. Table 1 Ingredient composition and chemical analysis of the experimental diets. DIETS 1 WPCS WECS CTR SIL Ingredient, g/kg DM Whole ear corn silage 0 200 Whole plant corn silage 0 100 Corn meal 600 390 Barley meal 160 160 Soya bean meal, extracted 90 120 Wheat bran 120 0 Supplement 2 25 25 Brewer yeast 5 5 Chemical analysis DM, % 87.1 75.9 40.5 51.5 CP, % DM 14.3 14.0 7.28 7.83 NDF, % DM 17.9 18.1 34.9 23.5 ADF, % DM 5.4 7.3 EE, % DM 3.5 2.9 2.75 2.78 Ash, % DM 5.1 5.1 3.72 1.74 Ca, % DM 3 0.66 0.70 P, % DM 3 0.49 0.36 Lys, % DM 3 0.81 0.84 NDF = neutral detergent fiber; ADF = acid detergent fiber. EE = ether extract. 1 CTR = control diet with 0% corn silages; SIL = diet containing whole ear corn silage and whole plant corn silage (20 and 10% on a DM basis, respectively). 2 Contents per kilogram of supplement: vitamin A 216000 IU; vitamin D 3 45000 IU; vitamin E 800 mg; vitamin K 3 50 mg; vitamin B 1 100 mg; vitamin B 2 100 mg; Ca 225 g; Na 59 g; P 16 g; Mg 13.5 g; Lys 85 g. 3 Calculated values based on the NRC (2012) tables of composition and the supplement contents. The feed samples were periodically collected for proximate analysis, and the digestibility of the diets was determined using acid-insoluble ash (AIA) as a marker. To increase the content of AIA in the feces, SiO 2 (precipitated and dried: 95%) was added to the diets (2 g/kg) for 10 days before sampling. For three consecutive days, two samples of feces were collected daily from each pen and were immediately stored at -20°C for subsequent analyses. 2.3 Slaughtering traits and stomach measurements The animals were slaughtered in a commercial slaughterhouse at an average BW of 183.0 kg (± 7.3 kg) by electrical stunning and then exsanguinated. The hot carcasses were weighed and then dissected into commercial cuts. Before cooling, the hams and loins were weighed, the back fat thickness was measured at the central line of the carcass between the third and fourth ribs (European Commission, 2014), and a back fat sample (100–150 g) was collected for analysis of the fatty acid profile. The meat pH was measured on muscle sections by a glass piercing electrode (Crison 52 − 32) connected to a pH meter at 45 and 240 min after slaughter. Samples of cecum content (approx. 50 g) were collected from each pig at slaughter, transferred to the laboratory and immediately frozen at -20°C for subsequent use in bacterial DNA analysis. The stomachs were collected at slaughter, transferred to the laboratory, immediately opened along the greater curvature ( curvature ventricles major ), emptied, and gently rinsed. The OA of the stomach wall was macroscopically evaluated using an adapted scale derived from earlier research (Holinger et al., 2018 ; Liesner et al., 2009 ), with values ranging from 0 to 4, as shown in Fig. 1 . The assigned score increased with wider proportions of the OA exhibiting parakeratosis, considering factors such as its extension, the presence of fissures and erosions, ulcerations, and re-epithelialization with contraction of the tissue. The organ was then weighed, and orthogonal photos of the outstretched stomach were taken by standing. The images were used to measure the oesophageal, fundic, cardiac, and pyloric areas by ImageJ open-source software (v1.46r, Rasband, W.S.,1997–2018). 2.4 Chemical analysis of feeds and feces Corn silage samples and fecal samples were dried for 48 h at 60°C in a forced-air oven and then milled through a 1 mm sieve (Wiley mill, Arthur H. Thomas, Philadelphia, PA). The dry silages and compound feeds were assayed in duplicate for DM, CP (nitrogen N x 6.25), ether extract (EE), and total ash content (AOAC 2016 , methods 930.15, 976.05, 954.02 and 942.05, respectively) and AIA (Kavanagh et al., 2001 ). The AIA content in the dried feed and fecal samples was determined by slowly boiling the ash from the samples for 15 min in 75 mL of 3 N HCl (Kavanagh et al., 2001 , with only minor modifications). The solution was then filtered through ash-free filter paper (Whatman no. 541, 20 µm of porosity), and the filters with residues were incinerated at 550°C for 1 night. Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents were measured by an Ankom II fiber analyzer (Ankom Technology Corporation, Fairport, NY) following the procedure of Mertens ( 2002 ). The organic matter, NDF and CP (e.g., nutrients) coefficients of apparent total tract digestibility were calculated as follows on a DM basis: 100 − (100 × (% AIA in feed/% AIA in feces) × (Fecal nutrient/% Feed nutrient)). 2.5 Fatty acid profiles of backfat samples Lipids were extracted from backfat samples according to the methanol–chloroform method of Folch et al. ( 1957 ), and fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) were obtained using methanolic HCl via trans-esterification of triglycerides by following the method described by Sukhija and Palmquist ( 1988 ). Then, FAME were separated by gas chromatography‒mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analyses, which were performed in EI mode (70 eV) with a 5977E MSD system (Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA), a 7820A GC system and a 7693A autosampler and automatic split/splitless injector. GC/MS analyses in full scan mode (m/z 50–600) were performed after a solvent delay of 7 min at 3 microscan/s. Compounds were identified by comparing their mass spectra with spectra from the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) Mass Spectral Library; the FAMEs were quantified using C19:0 as the internal standard and were expressed as the percentage of the total fatty acids. 2.6 16S sequencing and bioinformatics analysis Samples of cecum contents were thawed, and then, the bacterial DNA was extracted using the QIAsymphony DSP Virus/Pathogen Kit according to the manufacturer’s instructions. DNA samples were quantified by using a Qubit 2.0 fluorometer (Invitrogen) and a high-sensitivity DNA (HS) assay (Invitrogen). A total of 5 ng was used for library preparation via 16S metagenomic sequencing library preparation following Illumina’s instructions. Briefly, the v3 and v4 regions of the 16S ribosomal gene were selectively amplified, and unique sample indices were incorporated into each sample. Libraries were quantitated by a Qubit 2.0 fluorometer (Invitrogen) using a high-sensitivity DNA assay kit, and a Bioanalyzer 2000 (Agilent) high-sensitivity assay was used to determine the expected size distribution of the library fragments. Single libraries were pooled and then sequenced in paired-end 250 bp mode on an Illumina MiSeq instrument (Illumina). An average of 100k reads were sequenced and analyzed per sample. FASTQ files were uploaded into the BaseSpace tool for use with the 16S metagenomics app. Here, the raw data were processed for format conversion, sample demultiplexing, and microbiota composition analysis. Fragments were mapped to the RefSeq database for differential microorganism characterization. Alpha (Shannon and Chao1) and beta (Jaccard similarity) diversity indices were determined using the R environment (v4.1.3, R Core Team, 2021) with the appropriate function of the Vegan package (v. 2.5-7; Oksanen et al., 2015 ). 2.7 Hair cortisol and DHEA(S) analysis Hair was collected from the back at the level of the last rib and approximately 10 cm along the side of the vertebral column; this area was chosen because of its cleanliness. Animals were shaved as close as possible to the skin with an electric razor designed for large animals, and samples were kept in paper envelopes in the dark at room temperature until analysis. Washing hair samples with isopropanol is essential to minimize the risk of extracting steroids from the surface of the hair, which are deposited by sweat and sebum. Cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (sulphate) (DHEA(S)) were extracted as described by Bergamin et al. ( 2019 ). Their concentrations were measured using an in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), as described previously for human hair by Falco et al. ( 2023 ). 2.8 Statistical analysis During the study, two pigs, one from each of the two dietary groups, were culled because they had severe health conditions and showed poor gain. The in vivo performance, digestibility coefficient, slaughter and stomach trait data were analyzed as a completely randomized 2 × 2 factorial design with SAS software (v9.4, SAS Institute, 2013 ) using the GLM procedure and considering the pen as the experimental unit: y ijk = µ + α i + β j + ε ijk where: y ijk is the response of the experimental pen (k = 1,3), µ is the overall mean, αi is a fixed effect of the type of diet (i = 1,2), β j is a random effect (block) of the experimental period (j = 1,2) and ε ijk is the random error. The levels of the cortisol and DHEA hormones in the hair of the pigs and their ratios were statistically analyzed using the GLM procedure as a factorial randomized complete block (experimental phase) design with repeated measures as follows: Yijkm = µ + α i + β j + γ m + (γ ˟ α) mi + εijkm where y ijkm is the response of the experimental pen (k = 1,3); µ is the overall mean; α i is a fixed effect of the type of diet (i = 1,2); β j is a random effect (block) of the experimental period (j = 1,2); γ m is the sampling time (m = 1,2); (γ˟ α) mi is the random effect of the interaction between diets and sampling time; and ε ijkm is the random error. The results of the gastric lesion score were examined by SAS software's PROC FREQ, which used the Fisher option for contingency table analysis with the individual pig as the experimental unit. 3. Results The chemical analysis provided in Table 1 shows that the diets used in the current research were designed with equal quantities of CP and NDF. The sole difference between the two diets was the ADF level, which was greater in the SIL diet (7.3 vs. 5.4% DM). At the beginning of the trial (Table 2 ), the two dietary groups had similar BW, and no significant difference between the two groups was observed for the middle and final BW. Comparable DMI values were observed for both dietary groups, but the inclusion of silages tended to decrease the ADG (0.801 vs. 0.752 g/d) and G:F ratio (0.278 vs. 0.261 g/g DM) (P = 0.078 and 0.086, respectively). The SIL diet resulted in a significant decrease ( P < 0.01) in OM and NDF digestibility (82.41 vs. 79.75% and 55.88 vs. 42.64%, respectively), whereas CP digestibility remained unchanged. The feces of pigs fed the SIL diet had a lower DM content (23.31 vs. 27.90, P < 0.01, RMSE 1.42, data not in tables). Table 2 Growth performance, coefficient of digestibility and slaughter traits of the pigs. DIETS 1 RMSE P value CTR SIL Initial BW, kg 127.7 127.9 7.92 0.953 Middle BW, kg 155.1 153.8 9.38 0.816 Final BW, kg 185.0 181.7 7.45 0.467 DMI, g/(kg BW. 75 ) 65.20 65.57 2.57 0.814 ADG, g/d 0.801 0.752 0.05 0.078 G:F, g/g DM 0.278 0.261 0.01 0.086 OM digestibility, % 85.23 81.93 1.88 < 0.01 NDF digestibility, % 55.88 42.64 6.75 < 0.01 CP digestibility, % 78.06 77.76 2.87 0.770 Slaughter traits Carcass, kg 154.4 151.9 7.89 0.597 Dressing out, % 83.45 83.56 1.34 0.892 Ham weight, kg 19.74 19.54 1.23 0.784 Loin weight, kg 9.13 9.01 0.79 0.797 Back fat thickness, mm 30.11 29.25 1.34 0.305 pH 45 6.00 6.11 0.21 0.408 pH 240 5.49 5.48 0.09 0.903 DMI = dry matter intake; ADG = average daily gain; G:F = ADG/DMI; 1 CTR = control diet with 0% corn silages; SIL = diet containing whole ear corn silage and whole plant corn silage (20 and 10% on a DM basis, respectively). Dietary treatments did not affect the main slaughter traits, with similar carcass weights and dressing proportions, comparable weights of ham and loin, and similar thicknesses of the back fat. Table 3 shows the fatty acid composition of the back fat between the two groups, and the only difference was the lower ω-6/ω-3 ratio for the SIL diet (20.78 vs. 22.29, P < 0.05). Table 3 Fatty acid composition of the pigs’ back fat. DIETS 1 CTR SIL RSME P value Fatty acid 2 , % C12:0 0.07 0.06 0.01 0.798 C14:0 1.27 1.25 0.06 0.969 C16:0 24.48 24.54 0.57 0.867 C16:1 2.01 2.07 0.13 0.976 C17:0 0.33 0.34 0.07 0.792 C18:0 14.16 14.70 0.96 0.362 C18:1 ω-9 39.92 39.68 1.18 0.735 C18:1 ω-7 2.22 2.29 0.15 0.416 C18:2 ω-6 12.33 11.52 1.09 0.243 C18:3 ω-3 0.49 0.48 0.06 0.980 ω-3 0.59 0.60 0.07 0.939 ω-6 12.91 12.37 1.32 0.502 ω-6/ω-3 22.29 20.78 0.76 0.011 Fatty acid profile 3 , % SFA 40.56 41.42 1.26 0.277 MUFA 45.63 45.60 1.44 0.971 PUFA 13.49 12.97 1.40 0.540 1 CTR = control diet with 0% corn silages; SIL = diet containing whole ear corn silage and whole plant corn silage (20 and 10% on a DM basis, respectively). 2 Percentage of total determined fatty acid 3 SFA = saturated fatty acids; MUFA = monounsaturated fatty acids; PUFA = polyunsaturated fats Table 4 displays the principal stomach characteristics evaluated postmortem. The empty stomach weight was greater for subjects fed the SIL diet (1222 vs. 1106 g, P < 0.01), while the total stomach area exhibited similar values between the two diets. Nevertheless, when evaluating the extent of different stomach areas, a significant increase ( P < 0.01) was observed in the OA diet (5.63 vs 4.60%), while a significant decrease ( P < 0.01) was noted for the fundic region (46.23 vs 50.19%) in animals fed the SIL diet. Table 4 Stomach weight and surface area of different regions. DIETS 1 RSME P value CTR SIL Stomach traits Empty weight, g 1106 1222 56.09 < 0.01 Total area, cm 2 895.0 934.2 87.00 0.461 Density, g/cm 2 1.24 1.31 0.10 0.254 Stomach areas, % of total Oesophageal 4.60 5.63 0.51 < 0.01 Cardiac 24.57 24.70 1.87 0.730 Fundic 50.19 46.23 1.74 < 0.01 Pyloric 20.99 23.16 2.28 0.143 1 CTR = control diet with 0% corn silages; SIL = diet containing whole ear corn silage and whole plant corn silage (20 and 10% on a DM basis, respectively). The score of gastric lesions present in the OA was affected by the dietary treatment ( P < 0.01), and the SIL diet reduced the severity of gastric lesions (Fig. 2 ). Similar levels of the hormones cortisol and DHEA (S) were detected in both groups at the beginning of the feeding trial. At the end of the dietary test, no significant variation in hormones was reached, with comparable values observed in cortisol and DHEA(S) values, as displayed in Table 5 . Table 5 Cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) concentrations in the hair of the pigs collected at the beginning and at the end of the fattening trial. DIETS 1 P values CTR SIL RMSE Diet Sampling Sampling*Diet Initial Final Initial Final Cortisol, pg/mg 5.19 1.98 6.99 2.48 2.42 0.260 < 0.01 0.520 DHEA(S), pg/mg 22.9 22.1 26.4 27.1 9.48 0.289 0.984 0.859 Ratio, % 21.3 9.64 24.6 8.47 4.98 0.611 < 0.01 0.288 1 CTR = control diet with 0% corn silages; SIL = diet containing whole ear corn silage and whole plant corn silage (20 and 10% on a DM basis, respectively). 16S DNA sequencing was performed to assess whether dietary treatments generate variation in the cecal microbiota, affecting animal performance and nutrient digestibility. Each sample was analyzed, yielding 248,941 readings in total. Dietary treatment had no significant effect on species richness or evenness, with comparable values for both groups, as shown in Fig. 3 . Alpha diversity was calculated for all samples at the genus level: the Chao1 index (748.5 ± 187.8 and 740.8 ± 164.4 for CTR and SIL, respectively) and Shannon index (2.78 ± 0.62 and 2.98 ± 0.69 for CTR and SIL, respectively) were found to be similar in both dietary treatments, indicating similar microbiome diversity. When comparing the two groups at the temporal level, 25 genera showed significant differences between the dietary regimens, as shown in the volcano plot (Fig. 4 ). The microorganisms that differed between the two diets are listed in the supplementary materials (Table S1). Those with an average relative abundance greater than one percent belonged to the following genera: Prevotella, Falsiporphyromonas, Papallibacter , and Parabacteroides (8.55 vs. 4.39% and 1.37 vs. 2.52 and 0.87% vs. 1.64 and 0.86 vs. 1.62%, CTR vs. SIL, respectively). Only the Prevotella genus was more frequent in the CTR group, whereas the other genera were more common in the SIL diet group. Figure 5 depicts the beta diversity as Jaccard similarity, and the graph shows five primary clusters. One group included only subjects fed the CTR diet, whereas the other group included only animals treated with the SIL diet, accounting for approximately 35% of the samples. The remaining microbiota groups are randomly dispersed, implying that nutritional treatment does not appreciably impact the complex gut microbiota. 4. Discussion Pig meat chains in Italy (over 9 million pigs per year) require mostly heavy animals at slaughter to acquire a sufficient size of the fresh cut (minimum 11 kg) for curing ham production and several fat-wrapped foods. The entire manufacturing process is strictly regulated, and the guidelines were recently updated (European Commission, 2023). Previously, we conducted several trials using WECSs (Mason et al., 2013 ; Zanfi et al., 2014 ) and WPCSs (Galassi et al., 2017 ) in pigs in the final period of fattening (roughly 90 to 160 kg of BW). We are now encouraged to conduct the current study following the revised standards, which permit a new maximum dietary inclusion of two corn silages (20 and 10% of DM for WECS and WEPS, respectively). Furthermore, our feeding trial considered the final fattening interval from 120 to 180 kg BW, as new guidelines increased the ultimate animal BW (180 kg). 4.1 Performance The experimental diet was created by substituting the entire wheat bran and a portion of the corn meal from the control diet with corn silages to balance the fiber and reach a similar NDF content of about 18% DM. In parallel, to achieve an equal protein content (approximately 14% DM of CP), the soybean dosage had to be slightly increased in the diet containing silages. The growth performances of the animals were satisfactory, with complete consumption of all the programmed daily rations (refusals less than 5%, without differences between treatments). The rate of growth (750–800 g/d) must be considered high with respect to the advanced interval of growth of animals (from 120 to 180 kg), which is particularly rich in fat with low lean tissues. Recently, published trials (Friman et al., 2024 ; Liu et al., 2023 ; Ma et al., 2024 ; Palma-Granados et al., 2021 ) reported daily gain values comparable to ours but obtained in earlier growth phases (from 40 to 110 kg). However, the inclusion of corn silages tended to reduce the growth rate by 5–6%. Ma et al. ( 2024 ) tested different levels of WPCS in the diet of growing pigs and reported that a 10% inclusion level resulted in a substantial decrease in the growth rate between 30 and 60 kg of BW but not a significant decrease between 60 and 100 kg of BW. Friman et al. ( 2024 ), including approximately 5% of dietary DM with grass silage in its long form, reported a 5% reduction in weight gain. Pigs fed with silages have lower performance due to a significant loss in digestibility, particularly in the fiber fraction. Indeed, corn silage fiber is less degradable than bran fiber, and the chemical composition of the diets revealed a greater ADF/NDF ratio in the corn silage diet. Furthermore, it is well known that particle size has a significant impact on digestion, and corn silages are substantially larger than corn and bran meals. Despite these limitations, pigs fed a SIL diet demonstrated a good capacity to digest fiber, which can be related to a well-developed gut, as found by Galassi et al. ( 2005 , 2019 ) in heavyweight pigs. The silage diet had the same apparent CP digestibility as the control, despite the higher content of soy, which has a greater digestibility than bran (80 vs. 69%, NRC, 2012). Pigs fed silages produced feces with lower DM, and it could be speculated that the coarse diet containing silages provided a more suitable habitat for gut microbial growth. As a result, a greater N influx for microbial protein synthesis resulted in greater metabolic fecal losses and reduced apparent digestibility. Shifting N excretion from urine to feces is relevant for the environmental impact given the lower volatilization of fecal N compared to that of urinary N. Despite the difference in growth rate, corn silage did not affect animal slaughter traits or fatty acid composition, which confirmed our previous findings in the WECS and WEPS diets (Capraro et al., 2017 ). The fatty acid composition of the back fat was similar to that previously described in Italian heavy pigs, with a 40:45:15 ratio between saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. The only significant change was a decrease in the ω-6/ω-3 ratio of the silage diet, which is a positive trend for consumer health and is mainly due to the decrease (not significant) in linoleic acid. 4.2 Prevention of mucosa damage and animal welfare The SIL diet substantially affected both stomach development and mucosal integrity. The first consequence was an increase in stomach weight by around 6% ( P < 0.01). This is consistent with our prior trials, in which the use of 30% WECS or 20% WPCS (Mason et al., 2013 ; Zanfi et al., 2014 ) resulted in an increase in weight ranging from 5 to 10%. This weight increase is a clear reaction to coarse feed in terms of the growth of stomach wall tissues, which is likely required to be more consistent to better mix the contents (Eisemann and Argenzio, 1999 ). A second effect was the expansion of the oesophageal area, but despite the statistical relevance level, the effect was modest in terms of quantity. The most notable advantage of coarse feeding was a reduction in stomach damage severity, with a low number of cases with higher scores in animals fed coarse materials. The ability of large particles and fibers to prevent gastric mucosa damage has been previously demonstrated (Millet et al., 2010 , 2012 ; Möβeler et al., 2014). Apart from improving gastric health, the provision of forages in long form may have an additional positive effect in terms of the feeding behavior of animals in comparison to compound feeds not finely ground and/or containing fibrous byproducts. Nguyen et al. ( 2022 ) fed diets containing 10% lucerne hay and reported that pigs apparently rested less and socialized more than did control pigs. Friman et al. ( 2024 ) observed by visual inspection that pigs fed diets containing long-cut grass silages rooted in the feeding of the feeder as a result of more exploratory behavior during eating, but they did not find differences in skin lesions as indicators of pig interaction and welfare. It is possible that coarse ingredients can be an appropriate form of appetitive behavior (improving searching, rooting, and chewing). We did not directly investigate the aggressiveness and/or nervous state of the animals, and we could not determine whether the use of corn silage affected these aspects. Dietary characteristics may also affect the microbiota–gut–brain axis, potentially influencing pig social behavior. We expected dietary treatments to have a limited impact on the cecum microbiota composition of pigs, given that our diets changed solely in terms of fiber type and the particle size of some of the ingredients (silages). The greatly increased water content of feces between the two groups could be considered a proxy indicator of a distinct gut environment. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes are the most common bacterial phyla in the gut bacteriomes of humans, mice, and pigs (Guo et al., 2008 ; Ley et al., 2005 , 2006 ). The Bacteroidetes phylum, composed principally of gram-negative bacteria with an efficient polysaccharide degradation system, is the most frequently mentioned microorganism in the study of the use and transportation of polysaccharides in the gut microbiota (Kumar Singh et al., 2019 ). This was also validated in the current study (with relative average abundances of 70 and 20%, respectively), without any differences between dietary treatments. In contrast, the genus Prevotella had the highest relative abundance in the CTR group, which contained more digestible fiber. Prevotella is the most common genus in ruminants but is also abundant in the hindgut of pigs, including many species that are mostly saccharolytic and produce short-chain fatty acids (Flint and Duncan, 2014 ; Romanzin et al., 2024 ). A method based on hormonal stress markers may be used to evaluate the total impact of dietary factors on pig welfare conditions. The assessment of cortisol and DHEA (S) concentrations in pig hair samples can serve as a basis for calculating the total activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The HPA axis is a hormonal response system that is crucial for maintaining a basal homeostatic state (Guilliams and Edwards, 2010; Miller et al., 2007 ), and exposure to repeated or chronic stressors can lead to dysregulation of the HPA axis, resulting in pathophysiological effects (Fries et al., 2005 ; Kamin and Kertes, 2017 ; Sapolsky et al., 2000). Moreover, hair hormone analysis provides retrospective information about the endocrine properties of animals over time and is not influenced by acute variations caused by single events or circadian rhythms, providing a measure of the allostatic load (Whitham et al., 2020 ). The concentrations of cortisol and DHEA(S) and their ratios at the beginning of the trial did not differ between the two groups; this indicates that the allostatic loads of the animals involved in the study were comparable due to the similar management conditions before the trial began. Similarly, at the end of the trial, the levels of endocrine assets were comparable between the groups. DHEA (S) is released concurrently with cortisol by adrenal glands in response to ACTH as a result of HPA axis activity to comply with its neuroprotective role (Parker, 1999 ; Kamin and Kertes, 2017 ). It acts as an “anti-stress” steroid, minimizing negative glucocorticoid effects (Maninger et al., 2009 ). Given the reduced cortisol secretion during the trial, the DHEA(S) concentrations remained unchanged, and the ratio moved to an anabolic balance. 5. Conclusion The dietary inclusion of corn silage (30% of diet DM) decreased the severity of stomach damage in finishing heavy pigs. However, no appreciable variations in the stress conditions of animals caused by coarse diets were observed, as suggested by the concentrations of cortisol and DHEA(S) in the hair. Based on the performance of the feeding trial, the perspective of feeding heavy pigs corn silage should consider specific agronomic and harvesting techniques (e.g., shorter cuttings and/or anticipated harvesting) to improve digestibility and not reduce the growth rate. Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate The experimental procedures followed the European Directive (European Commission, 2010) on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes and the Italian legislation on animal care DL 4 March 2014, n. 26. The study is in agreement with the guidelines of the University of Udine and was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Udine (prot. no. 2/2023). Consent for publication Not applicable Availability of data and materials The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. Funding This research was financed by Consorzio del Prosciutto di San Daniele and by IFCQ Certificazioni srl (San Daniele del Friuli, Italy). Authors' contributions Spanghero, M. : Supervision, Conceptualization, Writing - Review & Editing, Funding acquisition. Braidot , M. : Conceptualization, Investigation, Data curation, Writing - Original Draft, Review & Editing; Orioles, M. : Formal analysis, Data curation, Writing - Original Draft; Sarnataro, C. : Formal analysis, Data curation, Writing - Original Draft; Pividori, I. : Formal analysis, Data curation, Writing - Original Draft; Romanzin , A. : Conceptualization, Investigation, Data curation, Writing - Original Draft, Review & Editing; Acknowledgments The authors thank Corteva Agriscience (Cremona, Italy), Associazione Allevatori del Friuli Venezia Giulia (Codroipo, Italy) and Azienda Agricola Cecchini (Mereto di Tomba, UD, Italy) for their valuable support. References AOAC. Official Methods of Analysis. 20th ed. Gaithersburg, MD, USA: AOAC International; 2016. Bergamin C, Comin A, Corazzin M, Faustini M, Peric T, Scollo A, Gottardo F, Montillo M, Prandi A. Cortisol, DHEA, and sexual steroid concentrations in fattening pigs' hair. Animals. 2019;9E345. 10.3390/ani9060345 . 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Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 22 Nov, 2024 Read the published version in Porcine Health Management → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 09 Sep, 2024 Reviews received at journal 09 Sep, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Sep, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 03 Sep, 2024 Reviews received at journal 19 Aug, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Jul, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 13 Jun, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 13 Jun, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 13 Jun, 2024 First submitted to journal 10 Jun, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4558313","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":315793615,"identity":"83fc3d72-20b9-4e84-bb11-d3565a60eb31","order_by":0,"name":"Mauro Spanghero","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Udine","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mauro","middleName":"","lastName":"Spanghero","suffix":""},{"id":315793618,"identity":"17151694-d9a6-4012-b693-8fe7045212ee","order_by":1,"name":"Matteo 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02:02:23","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":45109,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThe incidence of gastric lesions divided by gravity score (highest severity: grade 4) was obtained by analyzing the esophageal area of subjects fed a control diet (CTR) or a diet containing silage (SIL).\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4558313/v1/893e6c5ef1e3435b634aca69.png"},{"id":59965925,"identity":"182ff49e-fe25-480d-9820-630f3f76279f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-07-10 02:02:24","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":36466,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThe alpha diversity indices of the gut microbiota were calculated for animals fed a control diet (CTR) or a diet containing silage (SIL).\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4558313/v1/ebbeaddb9b9e78963691072c.png"},{"id":59966685,"identity":"79c116a4-13ad-4d04-92d6-479eccf14c81","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-07-10 02:10:24","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":36608,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eVolcano plot of the main genera found in the gut microbiota of the control diet (CTR) and diet containing silages (SIL) groups\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4558313/v1/6e82ea12e465555ae6c3393e.png"},{"id":59965922,"identity":"2b895e68-21eb-4402-8ec5-8b5a8ea2c230","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-07-10 02:02:24","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":216585,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThe Jaccard similarity index (beta diversity) was calculated for samples of gut microbiota collected from subjects fed a control diet (CTR) or a diet containing silage (SIL). A score equal to 1 represents 100% similarity between samples.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4558313/v1/2148662bde8d4aaf65c97c29.png"},{"id":69834521,"identity":"a07ab346-a3c8-4730-9ff7-206415122cb6","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-11-25 16:05:42","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2840331,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4558313/v1/569d1f3d-dd35-478f-8418-5ce6a39b1e01.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Dietary inclusion of fibrous corn silages reduces gastric mucosa damage in fattening heavy pigs","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eSeveral surveys conducted at slaughter sites have highlighted that the presence of gastric lesions is a widespread issue in fattening pigs. Swaby and Gregory (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e) analyzed and scored approximately 10 thousand stomachs, obtaining an overall prevalence of gastric lesions of around 80%, with an incidence of 73% of \u0026lsquo;mild\u0026rsquo; lesions. Cybulski et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) examined 32 thousand stomachs from different farms and assessed gastric injuries in 72% of the total samples taken into account. Helbing et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e) reported that 61% of pigs (one thousand subjects controlled) showed lesions ranging from mild to severe with no improvements compared to a previous survey conducted in 2005 in Switzerland. In the Italian context, Gottardo et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e) documented that 21% of more than 20 thousand heavy pig stomachs controlled at slaughter presented mild or severe ulceration.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere are different factors (such as density, stress, and transport) that can be linked to the occurrence of gastric mucosa injury, but the feeding regime is the most important factor. Recently, Cybulski et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e) reported that only a few nondietary risk variables were associated with the incidence of stomach damage in finishing pigs. In contrast, several studies have demonstrated that diets with small particle sizes and low fiber contents guarantee high digestibility and performance but generate more rapid stomach emptying with a negative effect on gastric mucosa integrity (Millet et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e; M\u0026ouml;βeler et al., 2014). Exposure to low pH, caused by rapid gastric transit, can lead to the development of parakeratosis in the \u003cem\u003epars oesophagea\u003c/em\u003e (OA) of the stomach, which commonly evolves through fissures, erosions, and ulcerations. The squamous epithelium of this region has no buffering capacity, thus making it highly susceptible to attack by increased gastric acidity (Szab\u0026oacute; et al., 2023). Providing fattening pigs with fibrous materials (e.g., straw provided in racks) or coarse fibrous ingredients (e.g., coarse silages) reduced the presence of gastric ulcers (Di Martino et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e; Friman et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e; Mason et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn Italy, pigs are mainly slaughtered at a high body weight (BW) for cured ham production (carcass weight between 110 and 168 kg). In the late finishing phase (e.g., above 80 kg of BW), heavy pigs can digest fibrous feeds rather efficiently (Galassi et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e) and have a well-developed gut. Moreover, coarse fibrous materials could contrast rapid gastric emptiness after a meal, protecting the stomach mucosa from gastric hydrochloric acid. Therefore, recent dietary rules for fattening heavy pigs in Italy for the production of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) dry-cured ham (European Commission, 2023) authorize the use of corn silages, such as whole ear and whole plant corn silages (WECS and WPCS, respectively). The scientific interest in feeding practices for heavy pigs should be wide and not limited to the areas of heavy pig production (mainly Italy but also Spain and the Balkan countries) because there is an overall tendency to increase pig weight at slaughter. In the United States and Canada, pig slaughter weight has been progressively growing without affecting meat quality (Price et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Wu et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e), and the expected increase will generate carcasses weighing approximately 118 kg by 2050.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe present research compares a traditional corn-soy-based diet (CTR) with a diet in which bran and a portion of corn meal were substituted with WECS and WPCS (SIL) at the maximum dosages permitted by new PDO constraints (20 and 10% of DM, respectively). The aim of this study was to examine the impact of the inclusion of corn silage in the diet on the productive performance of heavy Italian pigs and its ability to mitigate gastric mucosa damage.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Materials and methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.2 Feeding trial and digestibility measures\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe feeding trial was divided into two successive identical experimental periods (blocks) of 70 days each. In each period, 18 \u0026ldquo;Italian Large White \u0026times; Italian Landrace\u0026rdquo; barrows (about seven months of age and 128 kg BW) were divided into six groups of three pigs that were homogeneous for BW and kept in six pens (3 \u0026times; 3 m, partially slatted). During the first experimental period, pens were randomly assigned to CTR and SIL diets (three pens/dietary treatment), and the same assignment was followed during the second period to test each dietary treatment in six pens throughout the trial.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe CTR diet contained corn meal, barley meal, wheat bran, supplement and brewer yeast, while in the SIL diet, part of the corn (21% dry matter, DM) and all the wheat bran were substituted with WECS and WPCS (20 and 10% DM), as detailed in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. The two diets were equalized in terms of crude protein (CP) by increasing the amount of soybean meal from 90 to 120 g/kg in the SIL diet. Each pen was equipped with a faucet for drinking water and three separate troughs to avoid competition for feeding, the daily DM intake (DMI) was restricted to 77.1 g/kg BW\u003csup\u003e0.75\u003c/sup\u003e, and rations were manually fed in equal portions at 08:00 and 16:00. The trial started with an initial BW of 128\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;6.9 kg. The weight of the pigs and the average daily gain (ADG) were monitored at the halfway point and at the end of the trial. The BW and pen feed intake of the pigs were used to calculate the ADG, average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed-to-gain ratio (F:G). During the initial and final weightings, hair samples were obtained from each animal.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIngredient composition and chemical analysis of the experimental diets.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDIETS\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWPCS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWECS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCTR\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSIL\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIngredient, g/kg DM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhole ear corn silage\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e200\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhole plant corn silage\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCorn meal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e600\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e390\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBarley meal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e160\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e160\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSoya bean meal, extracted\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e120\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWheat bran\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e120\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSupplement \u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBrewer yeast\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChemical analysis\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDM, %\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e87.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e75.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e51.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCP, % DM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.83\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNDF, % DM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eADF, % DM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEE, % DM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.75\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAsh, % DM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.72\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.74\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCa, % DM\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.66\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.70\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP, % DM\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.49\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.36\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLys, % DM\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.81\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.84\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"5\"\u003eNDF\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;neutral detergent fiber; ADF\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;acid detergent fiber. EE\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;ether extract.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"5\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e CTR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;control diet with 0% corn silages; SIL\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;diet containing whole ear corn silage and whole plant corn silage (20 and 10% on a DM basis, respectively).\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"5\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e Contents per kilogram of supplement: vitamin A 216000 IU; vitamin D\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e 45000 IU; vitamin E 800 mg; vitamin K\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e 50 mg; vitamin B\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e 100 mg; vitamin B\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e 100 mg; Ca 225 g; Na 59 g; P 16 g; Mg 13.5 g; Lys 85 g.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"5\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e Calculated values based on the NRC (2012) tables of composition and the supplement contents.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe feed samples were periodically collected for proximate analysis, and the digestibility of the diets was determined using acid-insoluble ash (AIA) as a marker. To increase the content of AIA in the feces, SiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e (precipitated and dried: 95%) was added to the diets (2 g/kg) for 10 days before sampling. For three consecutive days, two samples of feces were collected daily from each pen and were immediately stored at -20\u0026deg;C for subsequent analyses.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.3 Slaughtering traits and stomach measurements\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe animals were slaughtered in a commercial slaughterhouse at an average BW of 183.0 kg (\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;7.3 kg) by electrical stunning and then exsanguinated. The hot carcasses were weighed and then dissected into commercial cuts. Before cooling, the hams and loins were weighed, the back fat thickness was measured at the central line of the carcass between the third and fourth ribs (European Commission, 2014), and a back fat sample (100\u0026ndash;150 g) was collected for analysis of the fatty acid profile. The meat pH was measured on muscle sections by a glass piercing electrode (Crison 52\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;32) connected to a pH meter at 45 and 240 min after slaughter.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSamples of cecum content (approx. 50 g) were collected from each pig at slaughter, transferred to the laboratory and immediately frozen at -20\u0026deg;C for subsequent use in bacterial DNA analysis.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe stomachs were collected at slaughter, transferred to the laboratory, immediately opened along the greater curvature (\u003cem\u003ecurvature ventricles major\u003c/em\u003e), emptied, and gently rinsed.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe OA of the stomach wall was macroscopically evaluated using an adapted scale derived from earlier research (Holinger et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e; Liesner et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e), with values ranging from 0 to 4, as shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. The assigned score increased with wider proportions of the OA exhibiting parakeratosis, considering factors such as its extension, the presence of fissures and erosions, ulcerations, and re-epithelialization with contraction of the tissue. The organ was then weighed, and orthogonal photos of the outstretched stomach were taken by standing. The images were used to measure the oesophageal, fundic, cardiac, and pyloric areas by ImageJ open-source software (v1.46r, Rasband, W.S.,1997\u0026ndash;2018).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.4 Chemical analysis of feeds and feces\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eCorn silage samples and fecal samples were dried for 48 h at 60\u0026deg;C in a forced-air oven and then milled through a 1 mm sieve (Wiley mill, Arthur H. Thomas, Philadelphia, PA). The dry silages and compound feeds were assayed in duplicate for DM, CP (nitrogen N x 6.25), ether extract (EE), and total ash content (AOAC \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e, methods 930.15, 976.05, 954.02 and 942.05, respectively) and AIA (Kavanagh et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e). The AIA content in the dried feed and fecal samples was determined by slowly boiling the ash from the samples for 15 min in 75 mL of 3 N HCl (Kavanagh et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e, with only minor modifications). The solution was then filtered through ash-free filter paper (Whatman no. 541, 20 \u0026micro;m of porosity), and the filters with residues were incinerated at 550\u0026deg;C for 1 night.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNeutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents were measured by an Ankom II fiber analyzer (Ankom Technology Corporation, Fairport, NY) following the procedure of Mertens (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe organic matter, NDF and CP (e.g., nutrients) coefficients of apparent total tract digestibility were calculated as follows on a DM basis: 100 \u0026minus; (100 \u0026times; (% AIA in feed/% AIA in feces) \u0026times; (Fecal nutrient/% Feed nutrient)).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.5 Fatty acid profiles of backfat samples\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eLipids were extracted from backfat samples according to the methanol\u0026ndash;chloroform method of Folch et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1957\u003c/span\u003e), and fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) were obtained using methanolic HCl via trans-esterification of triglycerides by following the method described by Sukhija and Palmquist (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1988\u003c/span\u003e). Then, FAME were separated by gas chromatography‒mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analyses, which were performed in EI mode (70 eV) with a 5977E MSD system (Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA), a 7820A GC system and a 7693A autosampler and automatic split/splitless injector. GC/MS analyses in full scan mode (m/z 50\u0026ndash;600) were performed after a solvent delay of 7 min at 3 microscan/s. Compounds were identified by comparing their mass spectra with spectra from the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) Mass Spectral Library; the FAMEs were quantified using C19:0 as the internal standard and were expressed as the percentage of the total fatty acids.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.6 16S sequencing and bioinformatics analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eSamples of cecum contents were thawed, and then, the bacterial DNA was extracted using the QIAsymphony DSP Virus/Pathogen Kit according to the manufacturer\u0026rsquo;s instructions. DNA samples were quantified by using a Qubit 2.0 fluorometer (Invitrogen) and a high-sensitivity DNA (HS) assay (Invitrogen). A total of 5 ng was used for library preparation via 16S metagenomic sequencing library preparation following Illumina\u0026rsquo;s instructions. Briefly, the v3 and v4 regions of the 16S ribosomal gene were selectively amplified, and unique sample indices were incorporated into each sample. Libraries were quantitated by a Qubit 2.0 fluorometer (Invitrogen) using a high-sensitivity DNA assay kit, and a Bioanalyzer 2000 (Agilent) high-sensitivity assay was used to determine the expected size distribution of the library fragments. Single libraries were pooled and then sequenced in paired-end 250 bp mode on an Illumina MiSeq instrument (Illumina).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAn average of 100k reads were sequenced and analyzed per sample. FASTQ files were uploaded into the BaseSpace tool for use with the 16S metagenomics app. Here, the raw data were processed for format conversion, sample demultiplexing, and microbiota composition analysis. Fragments were mapped to the RefSeq database for differential microorganism characterization. Alpha (Shannon and Chao1) and beta (Jaccard similarity) diversity indices were determined using the R environment (v4.1.3, R Core Team, 2021) with the appropriate function of the Vegan package (v. 2.5-7; Oksanen et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.7 Hair cortisol and DHEA(S) analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eHair was collected from the back at the level of the last rib and approximately 10 cm along the side of the vertebral column; this area was chosen because of its cleanliness. Animals were shaved as close as possible to the skin with an electric razor designed for large animals, and samples were kept in paper envelopes in the dark at room temperature until analysis. Washing hair samples with isopropanol is essential to minimize the risk of extracting steroids from the surface of the hair, which are deposited by sweat and sebum. Cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (sulphate) (DHEA(S)) were extracted as described by Bergamin et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). Their concentrations were measured using an in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), as described previously for human hair by Falco et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.8 Statistical analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eDuring the study, two pigs, one from each of the two dietary groups, were culled because they had severe health conditions and showed poor gain. The in vivo performance, digestibility coefficient, slaughter and stomach trait data were analyzed as a completely randomized 2 \u0026times; 2 factorial design with SAS software (v9.4, SAS Institute, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e) using the GLM procedure and considering the pen as the experimental unit:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ey\u003csub\u003eijk\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;\u0026micro;\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;α\u003csub\u003ei\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;β\u003csub\u003ej\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;ε\u003csub\u003eijk\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ewhere:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ey \u003csub\u003eijk\u003c/sub\u003e is the response of the experimental pen (k\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1,3), \u0026micro; is the overall mean, αi is a fixed effect of the type of diet (i\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1,2), β\u003csub\u003ej\u003c/sub\u003e is a random effect (block) of the experimental period (j\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1,2) and ε \u003csub\u003eijk\u003c/sub\u003e is the random error. The levels of the cortisol and DHEA hormones in the hair of the pigs and their ratios were statistically analyzed using the GLM procedure as a factorial randomized complete block (experimental phase) design with repeated measures as follows:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003csub\u003eYijkm\u003c/sub\u003e = \u0026micro;\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;α\u003csub\u003ei\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;β\u003csub\u003ej\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;γ\u003csub\u003em\u003c/sub\u003e + (γ ˟ α)\u003csub\u003emi\u003c/sub\u003e + \u003csub\u003eεijkm\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ewhere y \u003csub\u003eijkm\u003c/sub\u003e is the response of the experimental pen (k\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1,3); \u0026micro; is the overall mean; α\u003csub\u003ei\u003c/sub\u003e is a fixed effect of the type of diet (i\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1,2); β\u003csub\u003ej\u003c/sub\u003e is a random effect (block) of the experimental period (j\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1,2); γ\u003csub\u003em\u003c/sub\u003e is the sampling time (m\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1,2); (γ˟ α)\u003csub\u003emi\u003c/sub\u003e is the random effect of the interaction between diets and sampling time; and ε\u003csub\u003eijkm\u003c/sub\u003e is the random error.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe results of the gastric lesion score were examined by SAS software's PROC FREQ, which used the Fisher option for contingency table analysis with the individual pig as the experimental unit.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe chemical analysis provided in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e shows that the diets used in the current research were designed with equal quantities of CP and NDF. The sole difference between the two diets was the ADF level, which was greater in the SIL diet (7.3 vs. 5.4% DM).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAt the beginning of the trial (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e), the two dietary groups had similar BW, and no significant difference between the two groups was observed for the middle and final BW. Comparable DMI values were observed for both dietary groups, but the inclusion of silages tended to decrease the ADG (0.801 vs. 0.752 g/d) and G:F ratio (0.278 vs. 0.261 g/g DM) (P\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.078 and 0.086, respectively). The SIL diet resulted in a significant decrease (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) in OM and NDF digestibility (82.41 vs. 79.75% and 55.88 vs. 42.64%, respectively), whereas CP digestibility remained unchanged. The feces of pigs fed the SIL diet had a lower DM content (23.31 vs. 27.90, \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01, RMSE 1.42, data not in tables).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGrowth performance, coefficient of digestibility and slaughter traits of the pigs.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDIETS\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRMSE\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e value\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCTR\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSIL\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInitial BW, kg\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e127.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e127.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.92\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.953\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMiddle BW, kg\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e155.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e153.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.816\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFinal BW, kg\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e185.0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e181.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.467\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDMI, g/(kg BW.\u003csup\u003e75\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e65.20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e65.57\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.57\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.814\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eADG, g/d\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.801\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.752\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.078\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eG:F, g/g DM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.278\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.261\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.086\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOM digestibility, %\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e85.23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e81.93\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.88\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNDF digestibility, %\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e55.88\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e42.64\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.75\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCP digestibility, %\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e78.06\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e77.76\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.770\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSlaughter traits\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCarcass, kg\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e154.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e151.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.89\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.597\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDressing out, %\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e83.45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e83.56\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.892\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHam weight, kg\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.74\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.54\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.784\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLoin weight, kg\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.79\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.797\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBack fat thickness, mm\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30.11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.305\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003epH\u003csub\u003e45\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.408\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003epH\u003csub\u003e240\u003c/sub\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.49\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.48\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.903\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"5\"\u003eDMI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;dry matter intake; ADG\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;average daily gain; G:F\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;ADG/DMI;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"5\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e CTR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;control diet with 0% corn silages; SIL\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;diet containing whole ear corn silage and whole plant corn silage (20 and 10% on a DM basis, respectively).\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDietary treatments did not affect the main slaughter traits, with similar carcass weights and dressing proportions, comparable weights of ham and loin, and similar thicknesses of the back fat. Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e shows the fatty acid composition of the back fat between the two groups, and the only difference was the lower ω-6/ω-3 ratio for the SIL diet (20.78 vs. 22.29, \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFatty acid composition of the pigs\u0026rsquo; back fat.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDIETS\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCTR\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSIL\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRSME\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e value\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFatty acid\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e, %\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC12:0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.06\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.798\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC14:0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.06\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.969\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC16:0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.48\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.54\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.57\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.867\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC16:1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.976\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC17:0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.792\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC18:0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.70\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.96\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.362\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC18:1 ω-9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39.92\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39.68\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.735\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC18:1 ω-7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.416\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC18:2 ω-6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.09\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.243\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eC18:3 ω-3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.49\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.48\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.06\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.980\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eω-3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.59\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.60\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.939\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eω-6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.91\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.502\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eω-6/ω-3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.76\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.011\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFatty acid profile\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e, %\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"1\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSFA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40.56\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41.42\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.277\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMUFA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45.63\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45.60\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.971\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePUFA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.49\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.97\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.40\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.540\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"7\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e CTR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;control diet with 0% corn silages; SIL\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;diet containing whole ear corn silage and whole plant corn silage (20 and 10% on a DM basis, respectively).\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"7\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e Percentage of total determined fatty acid \u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e SFA\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;saturated fatty acids; MUFA\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;monounsaturated fatty acids; PUFA\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;polyunsaturated fats\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e displays the principal stomach characteristics evaluated postmortem. The empty stomach weight was greater for subjects fed the SIL diet (1222 vs. 1106 g, \u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01), while the total stomach area exhibited similar values between the two diets. Nevertheless, when evaluating the extent of different stomach areas, a significant increase (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) was observed in the OA diet (5.63 vs 4.60%), while a significant decrease (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) was noted for the fundic region (46.23 vs 50.19%) in animals fed the SIL diet.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStomach weight and surface area of different regions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDIETS\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRSME\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e value\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCTR\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSIL\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStomach traits\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmpty weight, g\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1106\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1222\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e56.09\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal area, cm\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e895.0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e934.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e87.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.461\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDensity, g/cm\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.31\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.254\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStomach areas, % of total\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOesophageal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.60\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.63\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.51\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCardiac\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.57\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.70\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.730\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFundic\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50.19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e46.23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.74\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePyloric\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.99\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.143\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"5\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e CTR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;control diet with 0% corn silages; SIL\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;diet containing whole ear corn silage and whole plant corn silage (20 and 10% on a DM basis, respectively).\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe score of gastric lesions present in the OA was affected by the dietary treatment (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01), and the SIL diet reduced the severity of gastric lesions (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSimilar levels of the hormones cortisol and DHEA (S) were detected in both groups at the beginning of the feeding trial. At the end of the dietary test, no significant variation in hormones was reached, with comparable values observed in cortisol and DHEA(S) values, as displayed in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) concentrations in the hair of the pigs collected at the beginning and at the end of the fattening trial.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"11\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c10\" colnum=\"10\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c11\" colnum=\"11\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDIETS\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c11\" namest=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e values\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCTR\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c6\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSIL\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRMSE\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDiet\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSampling\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSampling*Diet\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInitial\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFinal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInitial\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFinal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCortisol, pg/mg\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.98\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.99\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.48\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.42\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.260\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.520\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDHEA(S), pg/mg\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.48\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.289\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.984\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.859\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRatio, %\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.64\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.47\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.98\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.611\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.288\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"11\"\u003e\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e CTR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;control diet with 0% corn silages; SIL\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;diet containing whole ear corn silage and whole plant corn silage (20 and 10% on a DM basis, respectively).\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e16S DNA sequencing was performed to assess whether dietary treatments generate variation in the cecal microbiota, affecting animal performance and nutrient digestibility. Each sample was analyzed, yielding 248,941 readings in total. Dietary treatment had no significant effect on species richness or evenness, with comparable values for both groups, as shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e. Alpha diversity was calculated for all samples at the genus level: the Chao1 index (748.5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;187.8 and 740.8\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;164.4 for CTR and SIL, respectively) and Shannon index (2.78\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.62 and 2.98\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.69 for CTR and SIL, respectively) were found to be similar in both dietary treatments, indicating similar microbiome diversity. When comparing the two groups at the temporal level, 25 genera showed significant differences between the dietary regimens, as shown in the volcano plot (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). The microorganisms that differed between the two diets are listed in the supplementary materials (Table S1). Those with an average relative abundance greater than one percent belonged to the following genera: \u003cem\u003ePrevotella, Falsiporphyromonas, Papallibacter\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eParabacteroides\u003c/em\u003e (8.55 vs. 4.39% and 1.37 vs. 2.52 and 0.87% vs. 1.64 and 0.86 vs. 1.62%, CTR vs. SIL, respectively). Only the \u003cem\u003ePrevotella\u003c/em\u003e genus was more frequent in the CTR group, whereas the other genera were more common in the SIL diet group. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e depicts the beta diversity as Jaccard similarity, and the graph shows five primary clusters. One group included only subjects fed the CTR diet, whereas the other group included only animals treated with the SIL diet, accounting for approximately 35% of the samples. The remaining microbiota groups are randomly dispersed, implying that nutritional treatment does not appreciably impact the complex gut microbiota.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"4. Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003ePig meat chains in Italy (over 9\u0026nbsp;million pigs per year) require mostly heavy animals at slaughter to acquire a sufficient size of the fresh cut (minimum 11 kg) for curing ham production and several fat-wrapped foods. The entire manufacturing process is strictly regulated, and the guidelines were recently updated (European Commission, 2023). Previously, we conducted several trials using WECSs (Mason et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e; Zanfi et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e) and WPCSs (Galassi et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e) in pigs in the final period of fattening (roughly 90 to 160 kg of BW). We are now encouraged to conduct the current study following the revised standards, which permit a new maximum dietary inclusion of two corn silages (20 and 10% of DM for WECS and WEPS, respectively). Furthermore, our feeding trial considered the final fattening interval from 120 to 180 kg BW, as new guidelines increased the ultimate animal BW (180 kg).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e4.1 Performance\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe experimental diet was created by substituting the entire wheat bran and a portion of the corn meal from the control diet with corn silages to balance the fiber and reach a similar NDF content of about 18% DM. In parallel, to achieve an equal protein content (approximately 14% DM of CP), the soybean dosage had to be slightly increased in the diet containing silages.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe growth performances of the animals were satisfactory, with complete consumption of all the programmed daily rations (refusals less than 5%, without differences between treatments). The rate of growth (750\u0026ndash;800 g/d) must be considered high with respect to the advanced interval of growth of animals (from 120 to 180 kg), which is particularly rich in fat with low lean tissues. Recently, published trials (Friman et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e; Liu et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e; Ma et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e; Palma-Granados et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) reported daily gain values comparable to ours but obtained in earlier growth phases (from 40 to 110 kg). However, the inclusion of corn silages tended to reduce the growth rate by 5\u0026ndash;6%. Ma et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e) tested different levels of WPCS in the diet of growing pigs and reported that a 10% inclusion level resulted in a substantial decrease in the growth rate between 30 and 60 kg of BW but not a significant decrease between 60 and 100 kg of BW. Friman et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e), including approximately 5% of dietary DM with grass silage in its long form, reported a 5% reduction in weight gain.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePigs fed with silages have lower performance due to a significant loss in digestibility, particularly in the fiber fraction. Indeed, corn silage fiber is less degradable than bran fiber, and the chemical composition of the diets revealed a greater ADF/NDF ratio in the corn silage diet. Furthermore, it is well known that particle size has a significant impact on digestion, and corn silages are substantially larger than corn and bran meals. Despite these limitations, pigs fed a SIL diet demonstrated a good capacity to digest fiber, which can be related to a well-developed gut, as found by Galassi et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e) in heavyweight pigs. The silage diet had the same apparent CP digestibility as the control, despite the higher content of soy, which has a greater digestibility than bran (80 vs. 69%, NRC, 2012). Pigs fed silages produced feces with lower DM, and it could be speculated that the coarse diet containing silages provided a more suitable habitat for gut microbial growth. As a result, a greater N influx for microbial protein synthesis resulted in greater metabolic fecal losses and reduced apparent digestibility. Shifting N excretion from urine to feces is relevant for the environmental impact given the lower volatilization of fecal N compared to that of urinary N.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite the difference in growth rate, corn silage did not affect animal slaughter traits or fatty acid composition, which confirmed our previous findings in the WECS and WEPS diets (Capraro et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). The fatty acid composition of the back fat was similar to that previously described in Italian heavy pigs, with a 40:45:15 ratio between saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. The only significant change was a decrease in the ω-6/ω-3 ratio of the silage diet, which is a positive trend for consumer health and is mainly due to the decrease (not significant) in linoleic acid.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e4.2 Prevention of mucosa damage and animal welfare\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe SIL diet substantially affected both stomach development and mucosal integrity. The first consequence was an increase in stomach weight by around 6% (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01). This is consistent with our prior trials, in which the use of 30% WECS or 20% WPCS (Mason et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e; Zanfi et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e) resulted in an increase in weight ranging from 5 to 10%. This weight increase is a clear reaction to coarse feed in terms of the growth of stomach wall tissues, which is likely required to be more consistent to better mix the contents (Eisemann and Argenzio, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1999\u003c/span\u003e). A second effect was the expansion of the oesophageal area, but despite the statistical relevance level, the effect was modest in terms of quantity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe most notable advantage of coarse feeding was a reduction in stomach damage severity, with a low number of cases with higher scores in animals fed coarse materials. The ability of large particles and fibers to prevent gastric mucosa damage has been previously demonstrated (Millet et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e; M\u0026ouml;βeler et al., 2014). Apart from improving gastric health, the provision of forages in long form may have an additional positive effect in terms of the feeding behavior of animals in comparison to compound feeds not finely ground and/or containing fibrous byproducts. Nguyen et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e) fed diets containing 10% lucerne hay and reported that pigs apparently rested less and socialized more than did control pigs. Friman et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e) observed by visual inspection that pigs fed diets containing long-cut grass silages rooted in the feeding of the feeder as a result of more exploratory behavior during eating, but they did not find differences in skin lesions as indicators of pig interaction and welfare. It is possible that coarse ingredients can be an appropriate form of appetitive behavior (improving searching, rooting, and chewing). We did not directly investigate the aggressiveness and/or nervous state of the animals, and we could not determine whether the use of corn silage affected these aspects.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDietary characteristics may also affect the microbiota\u0026ndash;gut\u0026ndash;brain axis, potentially influencing pig social behavior. We expected dietary treatments to have a limited impact on the cecum microbiota composition of pigs, given that our diets changed solely in terms of fiber type and the particle size of some of the ingredients (silages). The greatly increased water content of feces between the two groups could be considered a proxy indicator of a distinct gut environment. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes are the most common bacterial phyla in the gut bacteriomes of humans, mice, and pigs (Guo et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e; Ley et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e). The Bacteroidetes phylum, composed principally of gram-negative bacteria with an efficient polysaccharide degradation system, is the most frequently mentioned microorganism in the study of the use and transportation of polysaccharides in the gut microbiota (Kumar Singh et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). This was also validated in the current study (with relative average abundances of 70 and 20%, respectively), without any differences between dietary treatments. In contrast, the genus Prevotella had the highest relative abundance in the CTR group, which contained more digestible fiber. \u003cem\u003ePrevotella\u003c/em\u003e is the most common genus in ruminants but is also abundant in the hindgut of pigs, including many species that are mostly saccharolytic and produce short-chain fatty acids (Flint and Duncan, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e; Romanzin et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA method based on hormonal stress markers may be used to evaluate the total impact of dietary factors on pig welfare conditions. The assessment of cortisol and DHEA (S) concentrations in pig hair samples can serve as a basis for calculating the total activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The HPA axis is a hormonal response system that is crucial for maintaining a basal homeostatic state (Guilliams and Edwards, 2010; Miller et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e), and exposure to repeated or chronic stressors can lead to dysregulation of the HPA axis, resulting in pathophysiological effects (Fries et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e; Kamin and Kertes, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; Sapolsky et al., 2000). Moreover, hair hormone analysis provides retrospective information about the endocrine properties of animals over time and is not influenced by acute variations caused by single events or circadian rhythms, providing a measure of the allostatic load (Whitham et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR52\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). The concentrations of cortisol and DHEA(S) and their ratios at the beginning of the trial did not differ between the two groups; this indicates that the allostatic loads of the animals involved in the study were comparable due to the similar management conditions before the trial began. Similarly, at the end of the trial, the levels of endocrine assets were comparable between the groups. DHEA (S) is released concurrently with cortisol by adrenal glands in response to ACTH as a result of HPA axis activity to comply with its neuroprotective role (Parker, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1999\u003c/span\u003e; Kamin and Kertes, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). It acts as an \u0026ldquo;anti-stress\u0026rdquo; steroid, minimizing negative glucocorticoid effects (Maninger et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e). Given the reduced cortisol secretion during the trial, the DHEA(S) concentrations remained unchanged, and the ratio moved to an anabolic balance.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"5. Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe dietary inclusion of corn silage (30% of diet DM) decreased the severity of stomach damage in finishing heavy pigs. However, no appreciable variations in the stress conditions of animals caused by coarse diets were observed, as suggested by the concentrations of cortisol and DHEA(S) in the hair. Based on the performance of the feeding trial, the perspective of feeding heavy pigs corn silage should consider specific agronomic and harvesting techniques (e.g., shorter cuttings and/or anticipated harvesting) to improve digestibility and not reduce the growth rate.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe experimental procedures followed the European Directive (European Commission, 2010) on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes and the Italian legislation on animal care DL 4 March 2014, n. 26. The study is in agreement with the guidelines of the University of Udine and was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Udine (prot. no. 2/2023).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis research was financed by Consorzio del Prosciutto di San Daniele and by IFCQ Certificazioni srl (San Daniele del Friuli, Italy).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026apos; contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpanghero, M.\u003c/strong\u003e: Supervision, Conceptualization, Writing - Review \u0026amp; Editing, Funding acquisition.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBraidot\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e, M.\u003c/strong\u003e: Conceptualization, Investigation, Data curation, Writing - Original Draft, Review \u0026amp; Editing; \u003cstrong\u003eOrioles, M.\u003c/strong\u003e: Formal analysis, Data curation, Writing - Original Draft; \u0026nbsp;\u003cstrong\u003eSarnataro, C.\u003c/strong\u003e: Formal analysis, Data curation, Writing - Original Draft; \u003cstrong\u003ePividori, I.\u003c/strong\u003e: Formal analysis, Data curation, Writing - Original Draft;\u0026nbsp;\u003cstrong\u003eRomanzin\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e, A.\u003c/strong\u003e: Conceptualization, Investigation, Data curation, Writing - Original Draft, Review \u0026amp; Editing;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgments\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors thank Corteva Agriscience (Cremona, Italy), Associazione Allevatori del Friuli Venezia Giulia (Codroipo, Italy) and Azienda Agricola Cecchini (Mereto di Tomba, UD, Italy) for their valuable support.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAOAC. 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Digestibility and metabolic utilization of diets containing whole ear corn silage and their effects on growth and slaughter traits of heavy pigs. J Anim Sci. 2014;92:211\u0026ndash;9. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.2527/jas.2013-6507\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.2527/jas.2013-6507\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"porcine-health-management","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"phmj","sideBox":"Learn more about [Porcine Health Management](http://porcinehealthmanagement.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"40813","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/40813/3","title":"Porcine Health Management","twitterHandle":"@animalplantsci","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC/SO AJ","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Heavy pig, Corn silages, Gastritis, Hair steroids","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4558313/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4558313/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBackground\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeveral surveys conducted at slaughter sites have highlighted that gastric lesions are a widespread issue in fattening pigs, mainly due to feeding regimes. In fact, diets with small particle sizes and low fibre contents guarantee high digestibility and performance but generate more rapid stomach emptying with a negative effect on gastric mucosa integrity. Providing fattening pigs with fibrous materials (e.g., straw provided in racks) or coarse fibrous ingredients (e.g., coarse silages) reduced the presence of gastric ulcers. The present research compares a traditional corn-soy-based diet with an experimental diet where bran and a portion of corn meal were substituted with whole ear and whole plant corn silages at the maximum dosages permitted by new Protected Designation of Origin for Italian dry-cured ham (20 and 10% of DM, respectively). The aim of this study was to examine the impact of the inclusion of corn silages in the diet on the productive performance of heavy Italian pigs and their ability to mitigate gastric mucosa damage.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe growth performances were satisfactory (750-800 g/d) given the advanced interval of growth of animals (from 120 to 180 kg). However, the inclusion of corn silages tended to reduce the growth rate by 5-6% due to the reduction of organic matter digestibility, without compromising the slaughter traits or the back-fat fatty acid profile. The experimental diet substantially affected both stomach development and mucosal integrity. The first consequence was an increase in stomach weight of approximately 6% (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e \u0026lt; 0.01) but the most notable advantage of coarse feeding was a reduction in stomach damage severity, with a low number of cases with higher scores in animals fed coarse materials (\u003cem\u003eP \u003c/em\u003e\u0026lt; 0.01).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe dietary inclusion of corn silages (30% of diet DM) is effective in decreasing the severity of stomach damage in finishing heavy pigs. Based on the performance of the feeding trial, the perspective of feeding heavy pigs corn silage should consider specific agronomic and harvesting techniques to improve digestibility and not reduce the growth rate.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Dietary inclusion of fibrous corn silages reduces gastric mucosa damage in fattening heavy pigs","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-07-10 02:02:19","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4558313/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2024-09-09T18:46:37+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2024-09-09T17:14:11+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"265011497610755604685246641107808274360","date":"2024-09-07T14:06:09+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"321930192500229656864272904758939799026","date":"2024-09-03T12:54:40+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2024-08-19T15:39:17+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"133493211920855981051055965761560438870","date":"2024-07-24T09:44:48+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2024-06-13T08:30:19+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2024-06-13T06:26:15+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2024-06-13T06:25:37+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Porcine Health Management","date":"2024-06-10T13:22:50+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"porcine-health-management","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"phmj","sideBox":"Learn more about [Porcine Health Management](http://porcinehealthmanagement.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"40813","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/40813/3","title":"Porcine Health Management","twitterHandle":"@animalplantsci","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC/SO AJ","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"d627d4f4-0540-42ce-abdd-dbddbf894a55","owner":[],"postedDate":"July 10th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-11-25T15:58:47+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-4558313","link":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-024-00391-9","journal":{"identity":"porcine-health-management","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Porcine Health Management"},"publishedOn":"2024-11-22 15:56:53","publishedOnDateReadable":"November 22nd, 2024"},"versionCreatedAt":"2024-07-10 02:02:19","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1186/s40813-024-00391-9","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s40813-024-00391-9","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4558313","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4558313","identity":"rs-4558313","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}