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 The positive effect of lecithin as a fat
emulsifier and metabolism activator for
pigs and poultry has been investigated
and confirmed in numerous studies. In
practice this effect is reflected in better
performance and lower feed and energy
requirements. Berg+Schmidt investigated
the use of lecithin for piglets once again
and acquired new findings that permit
a better insight into fat metabolism and
thus the use of fat in piglet feeding.
The trial was carried out over a period of
35 days (from the 29th to 64th day of life)
with a total of 60 weaners in individual
pens. The trial animals were divided into
the following four groups:
Group A: Control with conventional piglet rearing feed
Group B: Piglet rearing feed plus 0.1 % BergaPur
Group C: Piglet rearing feed plus 0.2 % BergaPur
Group D: Piglet rearing feed without the addition of oil (energy deficit 5 %) plus 0.2 % BergaPur
In this trial the use of BergaPur in piglet
rearing feed was shown to have a dose-dependent
growth promoting effect as summarized
in Fig. 1. The positive effect was
most apparent in Group C with the addition
of 0.2 percent BergaPur; the daily increase in live weight rose by four percent and the
feed requirement fell by three percent relative
to the control group. The significantly
lower energy requirement – a relative 8
percent – in Group D is important from the
point of view of feed economy and indicates
an intermediary effect of the added
lecithin.
Fig. 1: Effect of BergaPur on the rearing performance of piglets
Support for liver metabolism
It is conceivable that the transport lipoproteins
VLDL (very low density lipoprotein)
and its metabolites, especially LDL
(low density lipoprotein), have the effect
of supporting lipid or energy metabolism.
Lecithin-containing VLDLs convey triglycerides
and cholesterol from the liver into
the extrahepatic tissues and may relieve
the burden on liver metabolism, especially
if there is simultaneous competition with
other tissues for methionine and choline
which are regarded as “liver factors”.
This helps to prevent the danger of fatty
liver degeneration. Assisted by the enzyme
lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase, HDLs
(more precisely HDL3) take up cholesterol
out of the tissues and from other lipoproteins
and return it to the liver for final
breakdown.
Summary
In the trial group with 2 kg of BergaPur
added to 1,000 kg of complete feed
(Group C) the extra profit achieved is up
to 1 € per piglet at an assumed piglet
price of 2 € per kilogram. In the reduced-
energy group D without added oil
BergaPur compensated for the energy
deficit completely and achieved an extra
profit of up to 0.6 € per piglet without
impairing the animals’ health or
growth, especially in the first few days.
We also assume that carcass quality improves,
with a larger proportion of lean
meat. We intend to go into this question
in further trials.
It is known that the genetic growth
potential of our high-performance animals
is not yet exhausted. To exploit
this we need to tread new paths, but
without damaging the animals’ health.
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