Effect of dietary protein source on feed intake, growth, pancreatic enzyme activities and jejunal morphology in newly-weaned piglets.

Seventy piglets with no access to creep feed were weaned at 28 d of age and fed on one of four diets based on either skimmed-milk powder (SMP), soya-bean-protein concentrate (SPC), soya-bean meal (SBM) or fish meal (FM). At 0, 3, 6 and 10 d after weaning, piglets were killed and the pancreas and digesta from stomach and small intestine were collected, freeze-dried and analysed for dry matter (DM), N, and trypsin (EC 3.4.21.4) and chymotrypsin (EC 3.4.21.1) activities. Small-intestinal tissue samples were taken to examine gut wall morphology. Results indicated that dietary protein source affected post-weaning feed intake, pancreatic weight, gastric pH and gastric protein breakdown, and pancreatic and jejunal trypsin and chymotrypsin activities. Post-weaning feed intake appeared to be an important factor in digestive development of newly-weaned piglets.