Research Objective

• To understand the impacts of high inclusion rates of canola meal on gut health and potential prebiotic effects from it's high content of non-starch polysaccharides
• To find the optimal inclusion levels of canola meal in sow diets

Project Description

Canola meal is slowly being substituted for soybean meal in more animal diets and its benefits are being studied. This study focuses on the broiler chicken and sow industries and it being evaluated for its possible prebiotic effects and optimal inclusion levels for sows. Canola meal has a high quantity of non-starch polysaccharides, which break down to pre-biotics with the right mix of enzymes also included in the diet of broiler chickens, weaned and growing pigs, and sows. The first goal of this study was to determine if high levels of canola meal will actually have a prebiotic effect on the gut of chickens and pigs if the proper enzymes accompanied the feed. The prebiotic effects are also hypothesized to work against enterotoxigenic E. coli in piglets and Salmonella infections in poultry. The high inclusion of canola meal has been found to not negatively affect growth but actually promoted growth, even in broilers that were fed an antibiotic free diet. The second goal was to optimize high inclusion rates of canola meal in gestating, lactating, and breeding sows in a diet where it was included on the bases of net energy and standardized ileal digestible amino acids. It had already proven effective for lactating sows and her litter, but a confirmation of these results in breeding and gestating sows will further solidify the evidence for industry.