Hongyao Lin and Miquel Collellwelcome Prof Gonzalo González-Mateos this week, a world-leading expert in animal feed and nutrition. The trio discuss whether, if antibiotic use is restricted, producers have to accept the trade-off between gut health and pig growth?   

Prof González-Mateos warns that people often get lost seeking easy answers to complex questions. But investigating scour is like ‘dealing with tangled yarn’, in order to unpick it you need to know what not to do. This also forms the basis of a good nutritional strategy 

We look at common mistakes including: misjudging the fermentation roles of carbohydrate and protein in pig diarrhoea and not paying enough attention to the role of protein in gut pH. 

Examining the benefits of cereal additives and the neglected role of fibre, the professor speaks of his enlightening experiences travelling overseas. Whilst the hosts consider Prof John Pluske’s studies on the ‘beautiful digestibility’ of rice carbohydrates and the mystery of how it improves pigs’ appetites.  

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