The impact of soy oligosaccharides on digestion and intestinal health in weaning piglets

High dietary levels of soy oligosaccharides result in detrimental effects on intestinal and performance parameters of weaned piglets due to lack of endogenous enzymes for their hydrolysis. Intestinal fermentation of these components is connected with increased microbial activities and production of chyme, total volatile fatty acids and biogenic amines in the gut. The presence of soy oligosaccharides in piglets' diets reduces nutrient digestibility and growth performance and increases the incidence of diarrhoea. The objective of this paper is to review the detrimental effects of oligosaccharides in soybean meal and to show the improvements in amino acids digestibility and growth performance in weaning piglets once these components are removed by ethanol extraction. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.