Effects of fermented Chinese herbal medicine on growth performance,immune function,nutrient apparent digestibility,slaughter performance,and meat quality of finishing pigs

LÜ Fanglu

doi:10.13557/j.cnki.issn1002-2813.2025.22.007

Abstract：This experiment aimed to investigate the effects of fermented Chinese herbal medicine on the growth performance,serum immune indexes,nutrient apparent digestibility,slaughter performance,and meat quality of finishing pigs.A total of 72 healthy'Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire'crossbred pigs with an initial average body weight of(30.06±1.96)kg were randomly divided into four groups,with three replicates per group and six pigs per replicate.The control group(group F1)was fed a basal diet,while the groups F2,F3,and F4 were fed the basal diet supplemented with 1.0％,1.5％,and 2.0％fermented Chinese herbal medicine,respectively.The pre-test period was seven days,and the formal test period was 56 days.The results showed that compared with group F1,the average daily gain and average daily feed intake of groups F3 and F4 were significantly increased(P＜0.05),and the feed-to-weight ratio was significantly decreased(P＜0.05).The levels of interleukin-4(IL-4),immunoglobulin G(IgG)and immunoglobulin M(IgM)in the serum of groups F2,F3,and F4 were significantly increased(P＜0.05),while the activities of aspartate aminotransferase(AST)and alanine aminotransferase(ALT)were significantly decreased(P＜0.05).The content of immunoglobulin A(IgA)in groups F2 and F3 was significantly increased(P＜0.05).The apparent digestibility of crude fat and crude protein in groups F2,F3,and F4 was significantly decreased(P＜0.05).The pre-slaughter live weight and slaughter rate in groups F2,F3 and F4 were significantly increased(P＜0.05),and the backfat thickness was significantly decreased(P＜0.05).The 24-hour water drop loss,shear force and fat content of the muscle were significantly reduced(P＜0.05).The study shows that fermented Chinese herbal medicine can improve growth performance,immune function,slaughter performance,and meat quality of finishing pigs,with the 1.5％supplementation level showing better comprehensive effects.