The Effect of Soybean Oil, Tallow and Coconut Oil Supplementation on Growth Performance, Serum Lipid Changes and Nutrient Digestibility in Weaned Pigs

ABSTRACT This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of soybean oil, tallow and coconut oil supplementation on growth performance, serum lipid changes and nutrient digestibility in weaned pigs. One hundred twenty cross-bred [(Yorkshire × Landrace) × Duroc, 6.92 ± 0.01 kg average initial BW] were used in a 35 d growth trial. Dietary treatments included CON (5% soybean oil), T0.5 (4.5% soybean oil + 0.5% tallow), C0.5 (4.5% soybean oil + 0.5% coconut oil) and C1.0 (4.0% soybean oil + 1.0% coconut oil). For the whole period and from d 14 to 35, G/F was increased in C0.5 and C1.0 treatments compared with T0.5 treatment (P<0.05). ADG and ADFI were not affected by treatments. On d 14, C1.0 treatment was higher in serum HDL-cholesterol than C0.5 treatment and atherogenic index was increased in C0.5 treatment compared to T0.5 and C1.0 treatments. Digestibility of fat was improved for pigs fed C1.0 diet compared with those fed T0.5 diet on d 35. However, there were no significant differences in digestibilities of DM, N and DE. In conclusion, feeding diets containing soybean and coconut oils in weaned pigs increased feed efficiency and fat digestibility than feeding those containing soybean oil and tallow.(