Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T16:28:17.440Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effects of involuntary coprophagy on the production of skatole in growing pigs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

S. M. Hawe  and
N. Walker
S. M. Hawe
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, Hillsborough, Co. Down BT26 6DR
N. Walker
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland, Hillsborough, Co. Down BT26 6DR
Get access

Abstract

Six boars weighing about 65 kg were penned individually in preliminary observations to investigate their response to increasing levels of faeces in a concentrate diet fed as a gruel. During an introductory 5-day period pigs were restricted to 1·5 kg concentrates plus 100 g fresh faeces daily. The daily concentrate allowance was then increased to 2·2 kg and faeces increased by 50 g/day providing the ration was consumed completely. Two animals showed diarrhoea at intakes of 1 kg faeces per day while the remaining four animals showed no signs of ill health at the maximum allowance of 1·4 kg faeces per day.

In the main experiment littermate pairs of the same sex (16 boars plus 16 gilts in total) were allocated to control (concentrates only) or treated (concentrates plus fresh faeces) groups. Animals were housed in metabolism crates from about 55 kg live weight and the diet allowances were increased gradually up to 2·5 kg concentrates with or without 500 g fresh faeces per day. This was achieved on day 17 and continued to slaughter some 40 days later when pigs weighed around 85 kg live weight. Levels of skatole and indole were significantly higher in the caecal contents of treated pigs at slaughter but similar in faeces compared with controls. There was no effect of dietary treatment on skatole or indole levels in subcutaneous fat.

It seems unlikely that natural coprophagy would contribute significantly to skatole and indole levels in carcass tissues.

Keywords

coprophagyskatolepigs
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 53 , Issue 1 , August 1991 , pp. 105 - 109
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1991

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Araya, H., Araya, J., Negrete, A. and Tagle, M. A. 1973. Coprophagy in rats fed on diets with different protein. Archivos Latinoamerkanos de Nutricion 23: 485–493.Google Scholar
Ebino, K. Y., Yoshinaga, K., Saito, T. R. and Takahashi, K. W. 1988. A simple method for prevention of coprophagy in the mouse. Laboratory Animals 22:1.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fordtran, J. S., Scroggie, W. B. and Potter, D. B. 1964. Colonic absorption of tryptophan metabolites in man. Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine 64:125–132.Google ScholarPubMed
Giovannetti, P. M. 1982. Effect of coprophagy on nutrition. Nutrition Research 2: 335–349.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hawe, S. M. and Walker, N. 1990. Effects of diet on skatole concentrations in the intestine and adipose tissue of growing pigs. Animal Production 50: 551 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Herter, C. A. 1908. The occurrence of skatol in the human intestine. Journal of Biological Chemistry 4:101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hintz, H. F. 1969. Effect of coprophagy on digestion and mineral excretion in the guinea pig. Journal of Nutrition 99: 375–378.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kjaer Pedersen, J., Mortensen, A. B., Madsen, A., Mortensen, H. P. and Hyldgaard-Jensen, J. 1986. Foderets indflydelse pa ornelugt i svinekod. Statens Husdyrbrugsforsog Meddelse, No. 638.Google Scholar
Lundström, K., Malmfors, B., Malmfors, G., Stern, S., Petersson, H., Mortensen, A. B. and Sorensen, S. E. 1988. Skatole, androstenone and taint in boars fed two different diets. Livestock Production Science 18: 55–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maskey, S. L. 1975. The effect of 3-methylindole on growth rate and the excretion of 3-methylindole in rats. M.S. Thesis, Washington State University.Google Scholar
Meat and Livestock Commission. 1989. Stotfold Pig Development Unit. Results of the first trial. Meat and Livestock Commission, Milton Keynes.Google Scholar
Porter, M. G., Hawe, S. M. and Walker, N. 1989. Method for the determination of indole and skatole in pig fat. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 49:203–209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Proto, V., Gargano, D. and Gianani, L. 1968. Coprophagy by rabbits on different diets. Produzione animate, Naples 7: 157–171.Google Scholar
Spoelstra, S. F. 1977. Simple phenols and indoles in anaerobically stored piggery wastes. Journal of Science, Food and Agriculture 28: 415–423.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yoshihara, I. and Maruta, K. 1977. Methods for studying digestion and absorption. IV. Gas chromatographic micro determination of indole and skatole in gastrointestinal contents of domestic animals Agricultural and Biological Chemistry 41: 2083–2085.Google Scholar