Cong Li

This study investigated the effects of substituting 50% basal diet with alfalfa fermented feed (AFF) on growth performance, meat quality, serum biochemical parameters, and gut microbiota in finishing-phase Taoyuan Black pigs. A total of 120 healthy pigs were randomly assigned to control (basal diet) and AFF groups (50% basal diet + 50% AFF), with 6 replicates per group (10 pigs/replicate). The experiment lasted 42 days. The results showed that, compared to the control group, the AFF group exhibited no significant differences in growth performance ( p > 0.05) but had significantly lower serum triglycerides (TG), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels ( p < 0.05). In terms of meat quality, the substitution of AFF significantly increased muscle crude protein, energy levels, and the contents of glutamic acid, alanine, isoleucine, lysine, tyrosine, proline, total amino acids (TAA), umami amino acids (DAA), essential amino acids (EAA), and unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) ( p < 0.05) while significantly decreasing the 45-min yellowness value ( p < 0.05) and markedly reducing saturated fatty acid (SFA) content ( p < 0.01). Regarding the gut microbiota, at the phylum level, the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Tenericutes, and Actinobacteria in the experimental group increased significantly ( p < 0.05), Spirochaetes rose markedly ( p < 0.01), and Proteobacteria decreased markedly ( p < 0.01). At the genus level, the relative abundance of Treponema , Ruminococcus , and Prevotella increased significantly ( p < 0.05). In conclusion, substituting 50% of the basal diet with AFF in late-stage Taoyuan Black pigs maintained growth performance while enhancing meat quality through improved muscle amino acid profiles and unsaturated fatty acid content. Additionally, it improved serum biochemical and antioxidant indicators and the cecal microbiota, promoting the overall health of the finishing pigs.

The current study aimed to investigate the solid-state fermentation process of Quercus liaotungensis (QL) by Bacillus subtilis (BS). The parameters included the inoculation amount, the soybean meal addition amount, the fermentation temperature and the ratio of material to water. The optimal process was determined based on the nutritional value, tannin content and DPPH clearance of QL after fermentation. The results showed that: (1) The parameters of the optimal process included inoculating 10⁶ BS per gram of QL, then adding 10% soybean meal, the ratio of material to the water of 100:80, and temperature at 33 °C for 72 h. (2) In the optimum fermentation conditions, the crude fiber content, and the ether extract content of QL decreased by 66.94% and 66.96%, respectively (p < 0.05). Moreover, the crude protein content and the ash content increased by 65.81% and 4.63%, respectively, after fermentation (p < 0.05). Additionally, the tannin content decreased by 62.77% (p < 0.05), and the DPPH scavenging rate decreased by 45.45% (p < 0.05) after fermentation, respectively. In summary, the QL significantly improved the nutritional value after the solid-state fermentation with BS.