The Effect of Enteric-Coated Tannin as a Zinc Oxide Alternative on Growth Performance in Weaned Piglets
Release date:
2025-08-01
| Tannins have proven highly effective in controlling diarrhea in piglets and safeguarding intestinal health, making them a top choice for many manufacturers—and they’re widely regarded as the star alternative to zinc oxide. However, tannins’ inherent characteristics also pose limitations that currently restrict their broader adoption in animal feed formulations. "Wei Chang Ning," developed by Guangdong Nan Kun Biotechnology Co., Ltd., addresses these challenges by leveraging high-quality tannin ingredients sourced from overseas, combined with cutting-edge encapsulation technology and enteric-coated materials. This innovative approach ensures that the tannins retain their palatability in feed while allowing for controlled release specifically in the lower intestine—where they can effectively soothe damaged areas, reduce diarrhea, and ultimately enhance animal performance. |
This study uses nursery piglets as its research subjects, with the aim of investigating how Weichangning, when used as a substitute for high-dose conventional zinc oxide in nursery piglet diets, affects the growth performance of weaned piglets.
Materials and Methods
Experimental Design and Grouping
Table 1: Experimental Design
Group Don't | Levels of addition in the basal diet |
Control group | 2000 g/t conventional zinc oxide |
Trial Group 1 | 2000g/t Weichangning |
Trial Group 2 | 1500g/t Wei Chang Ning + 200 g/t Easy-to-drive zinc |
Note: Wei Chang Ning: Coated with natural plant tannins, with an effective tannin content of ≥50%; Easy-to-drive zinc: Water-soluble nano-zinc oxide, with an effective ZnO content of ≥70%.
The trial involved 90 nursery piglets with an average body weight of 13.5 ± 1.2 kg, randomly divided into 3 treatment groups, with each group consisting of 3 replicates, and each replicate including 20 piglets. The trial lasted for 17 days.
Test location and time: The trial was conducted at the Guangxi Agricultural Reclamation Farm from May 22, 2024, to June 8, 2024, lasting a total of 17 days.
Experimental diet
Table 2: Experimental Diet Formulation and Nutritional Composition
Ingredient Composition | Percentage % | Nutritional value | Content |
Corn | 67.5 | Digestible energy ( ( Kcal/kg ) | 3349 |
Hulled soybean meal | 24 | Crude Protein (%) | 18.54 |
Imported fishmeal | 3 | Calcium (%) | 0.78 |
Lysine | 0.20 | Available Phosphorus (%) | 0.42 |
Methionine | 0.10 | Lysine (%) | 1.13 |
Tryptophan | 0.01 | Egg + Cystine (%) | 0.74 |
Premix | 5.00 | Threonine (%) | 0.68 |
Total | 99.80 | Tryptophan (%) | 0.23 |
Test indicator measurement: Daily record the feed intake, number and weight of dead or culled pigs, and calculate the average daily gain, daily feed consumption, feed-to-meat ratio, as well as mortality and diarrhea rates for each phase of the trial.
Results and Analysis
Table 3: Effects of Different Types of Tannin Products on Growth Performance in Weaned Piglets
Project | 2000g ZnO | 2000g Weichangning | 1500g Weichangning + 200g Haokai Zinc |
| Control group | Trial Group 1 | Trial Group 2 |
Initial weight (kg) | 12.57 ± 0.15 | 13.32 ± 0.59 | 13.03 ± 0.63 |
Final weight (kg) | 19.62 ± 0.13 | 20.68 ± 1.07 | 20.17 ± 0.52 |
Total Weight Gain (kg) | 7.05 ± 0.11 | 7.37 ± 0.48 | 7.13 ± 0.12 |
Average daily weight gain (g) | 542.3 ± 8.31 | 566.7 ± 36.67 | 548.7 ± 8.93 |
Initial feed intake (kg) | 9.68 ± 0.25 | 10.60 ± 0.99 | 9.75 ± 0.35 |
Average daily feed intake (kg) | 744.9 ± 18.93 | 815.4 ± 76.21 | 750.0 ± 27.20 |
Feed-to-meat ratio | 1.37 ± 0.03 | 1.44 ± 0.05 | 1.37 ± 0.07 |
Note: Data in the same column with identical letters indicate no significant difference. P >0.05), different lowercase letters indicate significant differences P < 0.05), same as in the table below.
The results show that adding either 2000 g/t Weichangning or 1500 g/t Weichangning plus 200 g/t NaZnO to the basal diet during the rearing phase can effectively replace the conventional 2000 g/t zinc oxide, while also improving weight gain, feed intake, and overall production performance in weaned piglets—without causing diarrhea.
Summary
| Under the conditions of this trial, adding either 2000 g/t of enteric-coated tannin or a combination of 1500 g/t enteric-coated tannin plus 200 g/t BioZinc to the basal diet during the nursery phase effectively replaced the conventional 2000 g/t zinc oxide, while also improving weight gain, feed intake, and overall performance in weaned piglets—without causing diarrhea. |
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