Supplementation with Potato Protein Concentrate and Saccha-Romyces Boulardii to an Antibiotic-Free Diet Improves Intestinal Health in Weaned Piglets

Many countries have banned the use of antibiotics in livestock feed owing to the develop-ment of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Therefore, it is necessary to identify suitable alterna-tives to antibiotics to maintain intestinal health and improve piglet performance after the weaning. The objective of the present research was to evaluate the effect of isolated or combined intake of potato protein concentrate (PPC) and Saccharomyces boulardii (SB) on productive performance and some morphophysiological responses of the digestive tract in the two post-weaning weeks. We probe negative control without antibiotics, PPC, or SB; positive control with only antibiotics, and three other diets with SB, PPC, or a combination of PPC-SB. The absence of antibiotics in the diet or the inclusion of PPC and SB did not af-fect performance and digestive organ development after the weaning. The piglets fed a combination of PPC-SB had a higher concentration of protein occludins in the jejunum and intestinal villi than those fed a C- diet and had a similar effect to the C+ diet. The use of SB alone or in combination with PPC increased fecal Lactobacillus and antibiotics re-duced coliform bacteria. The PPC-SB combination prevented atrophy of the jejunal villi and promoted adhesion between enterocytes in the jejunum.