Dietary flavor in corn and soybean meal-based diet reduced post-weaning diarrhea by attenuating weaning stress and systemic inflammation of pigs.

Weaning period is a critical phase in swine production, and is characterized by reduced feed intake, growth retardation, and increased incidence of diarrhea. Supplemental dietary flavor has been used as a nutritional strategy to improve feed palatability and support early post-weaning growth. However, information on the effects on nutrient digestibility and systemic immune responses is still lacking. Therefore, this study evaluated the effects of dietary flavor on growth performance, frequency of diarrhea, nutrient digestibility, and systemic immune responses of weaned pigs. A total of 72 weaned pigs ([Landrace × Yorkshire] × Duroc; 28 d of age; average initial body weight = 6.51 ± 0.21 kg; equal sex ratio) were randomly assigned with two dietary treatments (four pigs per pen; nine replicates per treatment) for 42 d. Dietary treatments were a basal weaner diet based on corn and soybean meal (CON; one-phase mash diet formulated to meet or exceed basal nutrient requirements) and the CON supplemented with 0.05% dietary flavor additive containing a milky scent (FLA; Luctarom; Lucta Guangzhou Flavors Co. Ltd, Guangdong, China). Pigs in the FLA group had greater (P