Rice as an alternative feed ingredient in swine diet
Abstract
Rising feed costs have made it important to explore and study alternative feed ingredients for cost-effective animal production. In addition to this, it is desirable to find efficient and functional alternative ingredients for traditional feed ingredients in pig feed, considering the stress of the pig and the sensitivity of the disease. Rice is produced around the world, like corn, the energy source in typical pig feed. Although the nutritional quality varies depending on the degree of milling, rice, except whole grains (paddy rice), contains more starch than corn, and its structure and granule size are easier to digest than corn. In addition, the fact that rice has fewer non-starch polysaccharides(NSP) and anti-nutritive factors is also effective in improving digestibility, and various polyphenols can help improve immune response, which can be beneficial to the gastrointestinal environment and pig health. Many studies have been conducted on rice focusing on things such as degree of milling, substitution rate of corn, size, and processing methods. Most results have shown that rice can be partially or completely used to replace corn in diets without negatively affecting pig growth and production. While further research should focus on the precise biological mechanisms at play, it was confirmed that the use of rice could reduce the use of antibiotics and pig removal, and protect pigs from gastrointestinal diseases, including diarrhea. From this point of view, rice can be evaluated as a valuable feed ingredient for swine diet.