Artemisia annua residue (AR), as the byproduct of industrial extraction of artemisinin, contains rich nutrients and active ingredients. This study was conducted to determine the effects of AR as an unconventional feed material on growth performance, immunity, and intestinal health in weaned piglets. Thirty-two piglets weaned at 21 days (7.53 ± 0.31 kg average BW) were fed with a corn–soybean basal diet (BD) and a basal diet with 1% (LAR), 2% (MAR), and 4% (HAR) AR diets for 28 days. AR diets increased the serum IgA and complement component 3 levels, superoxide dismutase activity, and villus height in the duodenum (p < 0.05). The MAR group increased the ADG, serum total protein, and mRNA expression levels of Claudin-1 in the duodenum and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and the mucin 2 (MUC2) in the colon, as well as colonic Romboutsia and Anaerostipes abundances, and decreased the Proteobacteria abundance (p < 0.05). To sum up, dietary AR supplementation may enhance growth performance by improving serum immunoglobulin and antioxidant enzyme activity, intestinal morphology, tight junction protein expression, and gut microbiota of weaned piglets. Regression analysis showed that the optimal AR supplemental level for growth performance, immunity, antioxidant ability, and intestinal health of weaned piglets was 2.08% to 4.24%.

Milk sources directly influence digestion, absorption, and overall nutrient utilization during early infant nutrition. Goat milk features a nutritional composition and digestive properties that are more similar to human breast milk. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different milk sources on the immunity, amino acid and fatty acid metabolism, and intestinal microbiota in neonatal piglets. Sixteen 7-day-old suckling piglets were randomly allocated into two groups (eight replicates/group, one piglet/replicate) and fed with standard formula milk powder (CON) and goat milk formula powder (GMF). The formal experiment lasted for 14 days. Results showed that compared with the CON group, the GMF group showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the final weight, the serum levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA), IgG, IgM and C-reactive protein (CRP4), and intestinal trypsin content. Additionally, the GMF group had higher (p < 0.05) serum essential and non-essential amino acid and fatty acid levels, and had trends toward upregulation (0.05 < p < 0.1) in hepatic mRNA expression of spermine N1-acetyltransferase 1 (SAT1), duodenal peptide transporter 1 (PePT1), and jejunal cationic amino acid transporter 1 (CAT1). Microbiome sequencing revealed that GMF enhanced intestinal microbial richness and diversity and increased concentrations of acetic and propionic acids (p < 0.05). In conclusion, GMF suggests a potential improvement in the growth performance by enhancing immunity, amino acid and fatty acid metabolism and optimizing intestinal microbiota composition in neonatal piglets. These findings further support the favorable nutritional properties and tolerability of GMF in early-life nutrition.

Background: The search for sustainable, cost-effective alternatives to soybean meal in pig diets has gained significant attention. Methods: This study evaluated fermented feed mulberry (FFM) as a partial soybean meal replacement on the lactating sows and their offspring. Thirty-two multiparous French Large White sows were randomly assigned to one of four dietary treatments, in which 0% (CON), 2%, 4%, or 8% an equal amount of the basal diet (mainly large soybean meal) was replaced with FFM, from gestation day 105 until weaning (day 21). Results: FFM supplementation significantly increased weaning litter weight at 21 days ( P < 0.05), with the 4% and 8% FFM groups showing increases of 11.14% and 10.52%, respectively, compared to the control group, without affecting sow reproductive performance ( P > 0.05). It also affected colostrum protein, solid-not-fat (SNF) content, total solid (TS) content, and lactose content in the mature milk of sows (0.05 < P < 0.1). Serum biochemistry was affected in both sows and piglets ( P < 0.05). Sows showed decreased blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and elevated non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and ammonia (NH ₃ ), while piglets exhibited increased NEFA and calcium (Ca) but reduced NH ₃ . Dietary FFM significantly improved intestinal morphology across the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, markedly increasing ( P < 0.01) villus height and the villus height-to-crypt depth (VH/CD), and reducing crypt depth ( P < 0.05). It also increased jejunal EGF and IGF-1 protein expression ( P < 0.01), correlating with weaning litter weight. However, FFM did not affect gut microbiota diversity in piglets ( P > 0.05). Conclusions: In conclusion, the weaning litter weight and intestinal development of piglets can be increased by feeding sows FFM. The recommended addition amount is 6.06% − 7.86%.