Vitamin B status of commercially produced pigs in South Australia.

Abstract

Proc. Aust. Soc. Anim. Prod. Vol. 18 VITAMIN B STATUS OF COMMERCIALLY-PRODUCED PIGS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA P.G. LANGSTON* and G.J. JUDSON* Vitamin E deficiency in including mulberry heart (van Vleet and Kennedy vitamin E status of pigs Samples of from 45 of four major determined pigs has been associated with a number of disorders disease, hepatosis dietetica and nutritional myopathy 1989). The purpose of our study was to survey the produced commercially in South Australia. venous blood were obtained from 90 baconer pigs and samples of liver these pigs. The pigs were from 14 properties and were slaughtered at abattoirs. Alpha-tocopherol concentrations in plasma and liver were by high pressure liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The mean concentrations of alpha-tocopherol varied from 0.59 to 1.83 mg/l plasma and from 1.95 to 8.79 mg/kg liver (wet weight) (Table 1). Rammell et al. (1988) suggested that vitamin E concentrations higher than 1.1 mg/l plasma and 4.3 mg/kg liver (wet weight) were adequate for pigs, with concentrations of less than 0.4 mg/l plasma and 1.1 mg/kg liver indicating vitamin E deficiency. Intermediate values may indicate deficiency, depending on the tissue concentrations of other constituents particularly selenium and polyunsaturated fatty acids (Rammell et al. 1988; van Vleet and Kennedy 1989). In our study, pigs at four piggeries (Nos. 10, 11, 12 and 14) had a low vitamin E status but they were unlikely to be at risk to vitamin E deficiency because the selenium concentrations in these pigs were adequate (Langston 1990). Table 1 Mean concentrations, with standard deviations, of alpha-tocopherol in plasma (mg/l) and liver (mg/kg wet weight) of pigs from different piggeries Liver and plasma alpha-tocopherol concentrations were highly correlated (r = 0.821) with a mean (+s.d.) 1iver:plasma ratio of 3.5(+0.8). This ratio is similar to that reported for pigs in other countries (see Rammell et al. 1988). These results suggest that plasma alpha-tocopherol concentrations were of diagnostic value in providing a guide to the alpha-tocopherol reserves in the liver of pigs. LANG ATCN, P.G. (1990). Aust. Soc. Anim. Prod. 18:511. RAMMELL, C.G., PEARSON, A.B. and BENTLEY, G.R. (1988). N.Z. Vet. J. 36:133. VAN VLEET, J.F. and KENNEDY, S. (1989). Compendium Cont. Educ. Pratt. Vet. 11:662. * Central Veterinary Laboratories, Adelaide, S.A. 5000. Dept Agriculture, IMVS, Frome Road, 512