animals

Article
Dietary Soybean Oligosaccharides Addition Increases Growth
Performance and Reduces Lipid Deposition by Altering Fecal
Short-Chain Fatty Acids Composition in Growing Pigs
Shanchuan Cao 1,2,† , Juan Wang 1,† , Jianfei Zhao 1 , Shuwei Li 3,4 , Wenjie Tang 3,4 , Hui Diao 3,4 and Jingbo Liu 1, *

1 School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology,
Mianyang 621010, China
2 Department of Animal Resource and Science, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea
3 Animal Breeding and Genetics Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Animal Science Academy,
Chengdu 610066, China
4 Livestock and Poultry Biological Products Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province,
Sichuan Animtech Group Co., Ltd., Chengdu 610066, China
* Correspondence: [email protected]
† These authors contributed equally to this work.

Simple Summary: In this study, we investigated the effects of adding soybean oligosaccharides
(SBOS) to growing–finishing pig diets on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and fat
deposition. SBOS are considered to be one of the causes of diarrhea in piglets. However, their impact
on growing and fattening pigs has not been reported. The results of this study showed that adding
0.8% SBOS to the diet of growing–finishing pigs can increase the average daily weight gain. Hindgut
fermentation of SBOS, which alters the composition of short-chain fatty acids, was the mechanism
behind the reduction in fat deposition in growing–finishing pigs.

Citation: Cao, S.; Wang, J.; Zhao, J.;

Abstract: One hundred and twenty-eight boars and gilts of the Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire
Li, S.; Tang, W.; Diao, H.; Liu, J.
variety with an initial body weight (BW) of 52.49 ± 0.48 kg were used in a randomized complete
Dietary Soybean Oligosaccharides
block design for a 63-day experiment. The four treatment groups were: control diet (CON), CON
Addition Increases Growth
+ 0.2% soybean oligosaccharides (SBOS), CON + 0.4% SBOS, and CON + 0.8% SBOS. The results
Performance and Reduces Lipid
Deposition by Altering Fecal
showed that the average daily weight gain (ADG) was significantly higher in the 0.8% SBOS group
Short-Chain Fatty Acids Composition than in the CON group on days 0–63 (p < 0.05). Compared with the CON group, adding 0.8% SBOS to
in Growing Pigs. Animals 2023, 13, the diet significantly increased the carcass weight, dressing percentage, and carcass lean percentage,
3648. https://doi.org/10.3390/ but decreased the average backfat depth of growing–finishing pigs (p < 0.05). Adding different
ani13233648 concentrations (0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.8%) of SBOS to the diet can significantly increase the concentrations
of acetate, propionate, and butyrate in feces (p < 0.05). The activities of malic enzyme and fatty
Academic Editors: Eugeniusz
Ryszard Grela and Małgorzata
acid synthase in the 0.8% group were significantly lower than those in the 0.2% and CON groups
Światkiewicz
˛ (p < 0.05). In summary, 0.8% SBOS supplementation to growing–finishing pigs’ diets can reduce lipid
deposition and increase ADG.
Received: 21 October 2023
Revised: 19 November 2023
Keywords: growth performance; meat quality; carcass traits; lipid metabolism; growing–finishing pig
Accepted: 22 November 2023
Published: 25 November 2023

1. Introduction
Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Soybean oligosaccharides (SBOS) are the major carbohydrates contained in soybean
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. meal. A previous study has shown that SBOS had prebiotic properties due to their ability
This article is an open access article to regulate intestinal microbial structure and metabolism and were considered safe and
distributed under the terms and reliable materials [1]. However, monogastric animals lack endogenous enzymes to digest
conditions of the Creative Commons
SBOS, so SBOS are difficult to utilize for monogastric animals. Research on SBOS in pigs is
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
very limited. Previous studies on piglets showed that a high concentration of SBOS (1%)
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
could cause intestinal disorders and diarrhea in piglets [2]. The digestibility of organic
4.0/).

Animals 2023, 13, 3648. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13233648 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/animals

Animals 2023, 13, 3648 2 of 10

matter and crude protein (CP) decreased by 25% in piglets fed high concentrations of
SBOS soybean hulls [3]. The addition of SBOS to the diet of growing pigs reduced the
digestibility of nitrogen and amino acids [4]. The above studies have shown that SBOS
play the role of anti-nutritional factors in the diet of pigs. An in vitro fermentation test
using Huanjiang mini-pigs’ colon digesta showed that SBOS can improve the balance and
metabolism of colonic flora [5]. A study conducted on mice demonstrated that the intake
of soybean oligosaccharides led to an increase in the count of advantageous gut microbes,
which consequently enhanced the immune system of the mice [6]. In addition, studies have
shown that short-chain oligosaccharides that cannot be digested by upper gastrointestinal
digestive enzymes can be selectively fermented by certain bacteria in the large intestine [7,8].
We speculate that pigs can utilize SBOS through hindgut microbial fermentation. Diarrhea
caused by SBOS in piglets may be due to the limited fermentation capacity of the hindgut.
However, the effect of SBOS on growth performance and other indicators of finishing pigs
has not yet been reported. We hypothesized that growing–finishing pigs can efficiently
utilize SBOS. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary SBOS
supplementation at different concentrations on growth performance, carcass characteristics,
meat quality, and fat deposition in growing–finishing pigs.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Experiment Design, Animals, and Environment
One hundred and twenty-eight boars and gilts of the Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire
variety with an initial body weight (BW) of 52.49 ± 0.48 kg were employed in a randomized
complete block design for a 63-day experiment. Pigs were randomly divided into four
treatment groups based on BW and sex before the experiment. Each dietary treatment
had eight replicates with four pigs per replicate (two boars and two gilts). The four
treatment groups were: control diet (CON), CON + 0.2% SBOS, CON + 0.4% SBOS, and
CON + 0.8% SBOS. All of the pigs utilized in the experiment originated from New Hope
Beichuan New Changle Agricultural Husbandry Co. SBOS were purchased from Mianyang
Heben Bioengineering Co., Ltd. (Mianyang, China). The basic diet was divided into
two phases according to National Research Council (2012) recommendations [9]. The basal
diets for the two different phases are shown in Table 1. The form of feed was powder. On
day 21, the pigs were moved from the growing house to the finishing house, and the diet
was changed. For the duration of the experiment, all the pigs were housed in plastic floor
pens and had free access to food and water. Each pen in the growing and finishing pig
houses was equipped with a semi-automatic feed trough and a nipple drinker. The size of
the growing pig pen was 1.1 m × 2.1 m. The size of the finishing pig pen was 1.5 m × 3.1 m.
The temperature and humidity of the growing house throughout the experiment were
20–22 ◦ C and 60%, respectively. The temperature and humidity of the finishing house
throughout the experiment were 19–21 ◦ C and 60%, respectively.
Table 1. Basal diets’ formulation and composition.

Items Day 0–21 Day 22–63

Corn 72.65 80.90
Soybean meal 15.00 11.00
Wheat bran 8.00 4.00
Soybean oil 1.00 1.00
Dicalcium phosphate 1.20 1.00
Limestone 0.70 0.60
Salt 0.40 0.40
L-Lys.HCL, 78.8% 0.40 0.40
DL-Met, 98% 0.10 0.10
L-Thr, 97.5% 0.15 0.20
Choline chloride 0.10 0.10
Premix 1 0.30 0.30
Animals 2023, 13, 3648 3 of 10

Table 1. Cont.

Items Day 0–21 Day 22–63

Total 100.00 100.00
Nutrient content, %
Digestible energy, kcal/kg 3393 3407
Crude protein 14.11 12.42
Ca 0.64 0.54
P 0.59 0.50
Ca: P 1.10 1.08
1 Premix provides per kilogram of feed: Vitamin A5 512 IU, Vitamin D2 250 IU, Vitamin E 24 mg, Vitamin K 3 mg,
Vitamin B12 0.024 mg, Riboflavin 6 mg, D-pantothenic acid 15 mg, Niacin 20 mg, Vitamin B6 3 mg, biotin 0.15 mg,
folic acid 1.2 mg, iron 100 mg, manganese 30 mg, copper 15 mg, iodine 0.3 mg, selenium 0.2 mg, and zinc 100 mg.

2.2. Growth Performance and Sample Collection

The BW for each pig was measured to determine average daily gain (ADG) at 8 a.m. on
days 0, 21, 42, and 63. Daily amounts of feed and residual feed in each pen were recorded
to determine the average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed-to-gain ratio. Chrome trioxide
(0.5%) was added as an endogenous indicator during the last week (days 57 to 63) of the
experiment. Fecal samples were obtained via rectal massage of pigs in each pen from 6 a.m.
on day 62 to 6 a.m. on day 63 to determine digestibility values of dry matter (DM), CP, ether
extract (EE), and gross energy (GE). At 7 a.m. on day 63, jugular venous blood was collected
from one pig per pen to assess blood components, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1 in each
treatment group. After weighing, the blood-collected pigs were slaughtered via jugular
exsanguination after electronarcosis. After slaughter, the carcass weight and length were
measured. From the carcass weight and the slaughter weight, the dressing percentage was
calculated. The average backfat thickness of all pigs was calculated by measuring at three
different sites (shoulder, mid-back, and loin) 5 cm to the right of the midline, just above the
point of the elbow, last rib, and last lumbar vertebra. A small amount of backfat sample was
collected to measure fat cell diameter and lipid metabolism-related enzyme activity. The
lean meat percentage was calculated by dividing the left carcass after slaughtering into lean
meat, fat, skin, and bones. A portion of the longissimus dorsi muscle (LDM) was harvested
to determine meat quality. Colonic contents were collected to determine short-chain fatty
acid (SCFA) concentration.

2.3. Nutrient Digestibility and Blood Profile Analysis

Collected feces and feed samples were dried in a ventilated oven at 65 ◦ C for 2 days.
The dried samples were crushed and passed through a 1 mm sieve. The method used herein
was adapted from Liu et al. to determine the concentration of calcium and phosphorus
in the diet [10]. The content of DM was determined by drying the sample at 105 ◦ C for
2 h. CP concentration was determined using the Leco CHNS-932 analyzer combustion
method (Leco Corp., St. Joseph, MI, USA). EE was determined using the Soxhlet extraction
method. GE in dietary and fecal samples was analyzed using a fully automated calorimeter
(BYLRY-3000W, Beijing Grand Boyu Technology. Co., Ltd., Beijing, China). Fecal and feed
samples were treated with concentrated nitric acid and perchloric acid, and the absorbance
of the digestion solution at 450 nm was measured to determine the concentration of
Cr2 O3 [11]. The components in the blood were measured using a hematology analyzer
(BK-600, biobased, Jinan, China).

2.4. Meat Quality Analysis

The LDM muscle pH at 45 min and 24 h was determined using a pH meter (pH-STAR;
SFK-Technology, Herlev, Denmark). Determination of L*, a*, and b* values of LDM was
accomplished using a colorimeter CR-300 (Minolta, Osaka, Japan). Dripping loss was
assessed after the suspension of LDM at 4 ◦ C for 24 h. The LDM was vacuum-packed and
then placed in a 70 ◦ C water bath to measure the cooking loss. The shear force of LDM was
measured using a texture analyzer (TA.XT. plus; Stable Microsystems, Surrey, UK) [12].
Animals 2023, 13, 3648 4 of 10

2.5. SCFAs Analysis

Initially, 15 g of colon contents was weighed; they were then mixed with 15 mL of
distilled water and centrifuged at 4000× g and 18 ◦ C for 5 min. From the supernatant,
5 mL was extracted. Then, an equal proportion of HCl was added and the solution was
mixed. Then, the solution was submitted to centrifugation at 14,000× g and 17 ◦ C for
10 min. Afterward, the supernatant was extracted and injected into a gas chromatograph
coupled to a flame ionization detector. The column contained 10% SP 1200, 1% H3PO4 and
acid-washed 80/100 Chromosorb W (length 1.8 m) with stationary phase SP 1200 (Supelco,
PA, USA). Nitrogen was used as the carrier gas.

2.6. Lipid Metabolism Analysis

Backfat was extracted using methanol–chloroform to determine lipid content. Back
fat was stained with hematoxylin and eosin to measure the diameter of adipocytes. The
adipose tissue was embedded in paraffin and sectioned. After dehydration to remove
paraffin and water, the tissue was stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Subsequently, the
tissue samples were microscopically photographed and the diameter of adipose cells was
measured [13]
Lipogenic enzyme activity method: first, a mixed solution of 0.25 mol/L frozen sucrose,
1 mmol/L EDTA, and 1 mmol/L dithiothreitol was prepared. Then, 500 mg of backfat was
placed into the mixed solution and homogenized. Then, the mixture was centrifuged at
10,000× g and 4 ◦ C for 1 h. The supernatant was taken to measure the activities of malic
enzyme (ME) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PDH) at 340 nm absorbance at
25 ◦ C, and the activity of fatty acid synthase (FAS) at 340 nm absorbance at 28 ◦ C [14,15].

2.7. Statistical Analysis

The soy oligosaccharide level added to the diet was evaluated through ANOVA
analysis using SAS’s GLM procedure (SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC, USA) with a randomized
complete block design. Growth performance and nutrient digestibility were analyzed using
the pen as the experimental unit. Blood profile, carcass quality, meat quality, SCFA, and
lipid metabolism were analyzed using the individual pig as the experimental unit. Results
with p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

3. Results
3.1. Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, and Blood Profile
The average BW on day 63 and the ADG from days 0–63 of the group receiving 0.8%
SBOS were significantly greater than those of the CON group (Table 2, p < 0.05). However,
we did not observe significant differences in ADFI, feed-to-gain ratio (Table 2, p > 0.05),
and nutrient digestibility (Table 3, p > 0.05) among treatments. Compared with the CON
group, the concentration of HDL-C in the blood in the 0.8% SBOS group was significantly
increased (Table 4, p < 0.05). There were no significant changes in blood LDL-C, GLU,
T-CHO, and TG concentrations among treatment groups (Table 4, p > 0.05).

Table 2. Effects of dietary soybean oligosaccharides’ supplementation on growth performance of

growing and finishing pigs.

Soybean Oligosaccharides, %
Items CON SEM p-Values
0.2 0.4 0.8
Average body weight, kg
Initial 52.56 52.58 52.50 52.32 0.105 0.292
Day 21 71.62 71.97 72.25 71.88 0.202 0.208
Day 42 93.33 94.35 93.84 94.32 0.751 0.747
Day 63 119.1 b 120.3 ab 119.3 ab 122.5 a 0.841 0.032
Animals 2023, 13, 3648 5 of 10

Table 2. Cont.

Soybean Oligosaccharides, %
Items CON SEM p-Values
0.2 0.4 0.8
Average daily weight
gain, g/d
Day 0–21 907.7 923.3 940.1 931.8 10.43 0.177
Day 21–42 1034 1066 1028 1069 38.15 0.824
Day 42–63 1227 1236 1214 1340 53.64 0.335
Day 0–63 1056 b 1075 ab 1061 ab 1114 a 14.02 0.029
Average daily feed
intake, g/d
Day 0–21 2082 2151 2173 2133 25.90 0.106
Day 21–42 2855 2908 2894 2985 110.1 0.864
Day 42–63 3310 3340 3285 3642 148.1 0.304
Day 0–63 2661 2702 2671 2787 38.58 0.112
Feed–to–gain ratio
Day 0–21 2.293 2.330 2.313 2.289 0.016 0.282
Day 21–42 2.760 2.729 2.813 2.796 0.025 0.113
Day 42–63 2.699 2.704 2.708 2.714 0.025 0.978
Day 0–63 2.520 2.513 2.519 2.504 0.024 0.960
Note: SEM, standard error of the mean. a,b Means the difference is significant for different superscripts in the
same row (p < 0.05).

Table 3. Effects of dietary soybean oligosaccharides’ supplementation on nutrient digestibility of

growing and finishing pigs.

Soybean Oligosaccharides, %
Items, % CON SEM p-Values
0.2 0.4 0.8
Dry matter 90.13 90.63 90.50 89.75 0.285 0.150
Crude protein 81.83 81.51 82.57 82.01 0.329 0.162
Ether extract 72.62 71.95 72.96 72.49 0.295 0.127
Gross energy 84.01 84.38 84.06 83.93 0.229 0.531
Note: SEM, standard error of the mean.

Table 4. Effects of dietary soybean oligosaccharides’ supplementation on blood profile of growing

and finishing pigs.

Soybean Oligosaccharides, %
Items, mmol/L CON SEM p-Values
0.2 0.4 0.8
LDL-C 1.05 1.08 0.83 0.88 0.215 0.801
HDL-C 0.41 b 0.43 b 0.53 ab 0.67 a 0.046 0.002
GLU 4.68 4.54 4.60 4.41 0.163 0.694
T-CHO 1.49 1.48 1.46 1.33 0.117 0.740
TG 0.53 0.45 0.46 0.50 0.085 0.897
Note: LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; GLU, glucose;
T-CHO, total cholesterol; TG, triglycerides; SEM, standard error of the mean. a,b Means the difference is significant
for different superscripts in the same row (p < 0.05).

3.2. Carcass Traits and Meat Quality

Compared with the CON group, adding 0.8% SBOS to the diet significantly increased
the carcass weight, dressing percentage, and carcass lean percentage, but decreased the
average backfat depth of growing–finishing pigs (Table 5, p < 0.05). Feeding 0.4% SBOS
increased the carcass weight of growing–finishing pigs compared with the CON group
(Table 5, p < 0.05). In addition, there was no significant effect on the meat quality of
growing–finishing pigs when feeding them different concentrations of SBOS (Table 6,
p > 0.05).
Animals 2023, 13, 3648 6 of 10

Table 5. Effects of dietary soybean oligosaccharides’ supplementation on carcass traits of growing

and finishing pigs.

Soybean Oligosaccharides, %
Items CON SEM p-Values
0.2 0.4 0.8
Carcass weight, kg 77.21 b 78.07 ab 78.59 a 79.07 a 0.330 0.003
Carcass length, cm 107.1 107.4 106.9 108.1 0.852 0.773
Dressing 64.75 b 65.62 ab 66.94 ab 67.07 a 0.586 0.026
percentage, %
Average backfat 32.10 a 31.54 ab 31.73 ab 30.29 b 0.449 0.044
depth, mm
Carcass lean 58.73 b 59.58 ab 59.78 ab 62.48 a 0.275 0.001
percentage, %
Note: SEM, standard error of the mean. a,b Means the difference is significant for different superscripts in the
same row (p < 0.05).

Table 6. Effects of dietary soybean oligosaccharides’ supplementation on meat quality of growing

and finishing pigs.

Soybean Oligosaccharides, %
Items CON SEM p-Values
0.2 0.4 0.8
pH45min 6.44 6.45 6.51 6.28 0.100 0.443
pH24h 5.54 5.66 5.43 5.52 0.103 0.499
L* 44.05 44.51 43.99 44.32 0.223 0.332
a* 8.52 8.55 8.48 8.30 0.151 0.647
b* 6.34 6.65 6.61 6.44 0.122 0.260
Drip loss, % 2.11 1.95 2.08 2.05 0.117 0.808
Cooking loss, % 34.88 31.11 34.41 34.82 0.227 0.076
Shear force, N 9.56 8.99 9.43 9.40 0.178 0.149
Note: SEM, standard error of the mean.

3.3. SCFAs and Fat Deposits

Adding different concentrations (0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.8%) of SBOS to the diet can signifi-
cantly increase the concentrations of acetate, propionate, and butyrate in feces compared
with the CON group (Table 7, p < 0.05). The concentrations of acetate, propionate, and
butyrate in the feces were higher in the 0.8% SBOS group than in the 0.2% SBOS group
and the 0.4% SBOS group (Table 7, p < 0.05). The concentrations of SBOS had no effects on
adipose tissue lipid content, fat cell diameter, and G-6-PDH activity (Table 8, p > 0.05). The
activities of ME and FAS in the 0.8% group were significantly reduced compared with the
0.2% SBOS and CON groups (Table 8, p < 0.05).

Table 7. Effects of dietary soybean oligosaccharides’ supplementation on the composition of short-

chain fatty acids in the feces of growing and finishing pigs.

Soybean Oligosaccharides, %
Items, µmol/g CON SEM p-Values
0.2 0.4 0.8
Acetate 80.65 c 90.90 b 89.17 b 102.9 a 1.952 0.001
Propionate 16.84 c 21.27 b 20.15 b 25.48 a 0.390 0.001
Isobutyrate 15.89 16.12 15.70 15.36 0.291 0.222
Butyrate 15.24 c 18.22 b 17.16 b 20.72 a 0.495 0.001
Isovalerate 5.47 4.92 5.79 4.94 0.360 0.264
Valerate 7.63 7.19 7.28 7.42 0.147 0.199
Note: SEM, standard error of the mean. a,b,c Means the difference is significant for different superscripts in the
same row (p < 0.05).
Animals 2023, 13, 3648 7 of 10

Table 8. Effects of dietary soybean oligosaccharides’ supplementation on the lipid metabolism of

growing and finishing pigs.

Soybean Oligosaccharides, %
Items CON SEM p-Value
0.2 0.4 0.8
Adipose tissue lipid 71.21 72.03 72.10 72.46 1.328 0.923
content, %
Fat cell 58.58 60.82 60.07 60.27 1.591 0.780
diameter, µm
Enzyme activity,
nmol/(min g)
ME 2985 a 2898 a 2708 ab 2142 b 153.7 0.003
G-6-PDH 744.0 750.3 766.6 749.8 30.76 0.959
FAS 259.6 a 254.9 a 216.0 ab 150.9 b 26.67 0.027
Note: SEM, standard error of the mean; ME, malic enzyme; G-6-PDH, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase; FAS,
fatty acid synthase. a,b Means the difference is significant for different superscripts in the same row (p < 0.05).

4. Discussion
4.1. Growth Performance, and Nutrient Digestibility
More economical growth performance is the first goal pursued by agricultural and an-
imal husbandry farmers. Growth performance denotes comprehensive performance under
the combined effect of multiple factors, such as variety, feed nutritional levels, minerals
such as calcium and phosphorus, functional additives, and feeding and management lev-
els [16–23]. Previous studies in piglets have shown that dietary supplementation with soy
oligosaccharides reduced growth performance and induced diarrhea [2,24]. Zhang et al.
found that adding 1% (weight gain 0.25 vs. 0.21) and 2% (weight gain 0.25 vs. 0.17)
stachyose to piglet diets slowed the growth rate [2]. Another study showed that reducing
the addition of SBOS in piglet diets reduced diarrhea (the duration of diarrhea was 6 and
2.4 days for soybean meal and soy protein concentrate based diets, respectively) and im-
proved growth performance (the growth rate for a diet based on soy protein concentrate
and soybean meal was 244 and 224 g/day, respectively) [24]. Adding soybean extract
containing stachyose and raffinose to piglet diets reduced the digestibility of organic matter,
nitrogen free extract, and CP by 20% [3]. In addition, supplementation of SBOS such as
stachyose and raffinose was shown to reduce nitrogen (81.4 vs. 75.9) and amino acid (83.8
vs. 79.0) digestibility in studies related to growing pigs [4]. The above results were due to
the digestion of SBOS changing the penetration difference between the mucosa and plasma,
causing digestive tract disorders and increasing the risk of diarrhea in weaned piglets.
The study results demonstrated that the inclusion of SBOS in feed had no impact on the
digestibility of nutrients (DM, CP, EE, and GE). The difference between this and previous
studies may be because the fermentation capacity of intestinal microorganisms increased
after growing and fattening pigs, and the intestinal microorganisms fermented SBOS and
then changed their anti-nutritional properties, which did not affect intestinal function and
led to a decrease in nutrient digestibility. Adding 0.8% SBOS could increase the average
BW on day 63 and the average daily weight gain from days 0 to 63. This suggested that
differences in growth performance between the CON group and the 0.8% SBOS group may
be caused by changes in how nutrients were metabolized in the body.

4.2. Carcass Traits and Meat Quality

The results of this study showed that compared with the CON group, adding 0.8%
SBOS to the diet significantly increased the carcass weight, dressing percentage, and
carcass lean percentage of growing–finishing pigs, but decreased the average backfat depth.
Therefore, we find that pigs with added 0.8% SBOS tend to be leaner. The main reason
for the increase in carcass weight and dressing percentage may be that adding 0.8% SBOS
reduces fat deposition capacity and increases lean meat deposition. The density of lean
meat per unit volume is greater and the mass is greater. Although the addition of SBOS
Animals 2023, 13, 3648 8 of 10

changed carcass traits, we found no significant effect on meat quality. No studies have been
found on the impact of directly adding SBOS on the quality of meat in growing fattening
pigs. However, a study has shown that adding white lupin (contains SBOS) to the diets of
growing fattening pigs does not have any negative impacts on meat nutritional quality or
carcass characteristics [25]. In short, the above results further indicate that the main reason
why adding 0.8% SBOS to the diet increased the ADG and carcass traits may be due to
the reduction in fat deposition. Besides, the outcomes indicated that the main reason why
adding 0.8% SBOS to the diet improves ADG and carcass traits may be that the metabolic
pathway changes after energy enters the body. The body uses more energy to synthesize
muscle and reduces fat synthesis.

4.3. SCFAs, Fat Deposits, and Blood Profile

SCFAs are the intermediate and final products produced by the microbial fermentation
of indigestible residues, such as polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, proteins, and peptides,
in the mammalian gastrointestinal tract [26]. The fermentation process of carbohydrates
provides the colon with metabolic end products and energy for the growth or maintenance
of intestinal flora. Acetate primarily enters the portal system and serves as a peripheral
energy source; propionate is partially metabolized by colonocytes and mainly by the liver;
and butyrate is the most important fuel for colonocytes in humans and pigs. Rapid entry
of fermentable substrates into the hindgut results in the production of lactic and succinic
acids [27]. The results of this study showed that adding SBOS can significantly increase
the content of acetate, propionate, and butyrate in feces. In addition, adding 0.8% SBOS
to the diet was more effective in increasing the concentrations of acetate, propionate, and
butyrate than in the 0.2% and 0.4% SBOS groups. This was consistent with the previous
results of in vitro fermentation using SBOS as the substrate and colonic digesta as the
inoculum, and we found that the production of acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric
acid increased [5]. We also measured blood components. Compared with the CON group,
the results showed that the concentration of HDL-C in the blood of the 0.8% SBOS group
significantly increased. This was consistent with the results indicating that adding SBOS
to high-fat diets in mice can significantly increase HDL-C concentration and significantly
improve dyslipidemia [28]. However, we did not find that the addition of SBOS improved
the concentrations of T-CHO and TG as described in the above studies. Therefore, we can
assume that adding 0.8% SBOS to the diet can increase lipid metabolism to a certain extent.
Our study also found that adding 0.8% SBOS to the diet significantly reduced the enzyme
activities of ME and FAS, but had no significant effect on the lipid content of adipose tissue
and adipocyte diameter. FAS is a key multifunctional enzyme in fatty acid synthesis [29].
ME can decarboxylate malic acid to pyruvate and form NADPH, and plays a key role
in the biosynthesis of fatty acids [30,31]. It was found that adding 0.8% SBOS to the diet
can significantly reduce fat anabolism and lipid deposition. This also explained why pigs
treated with 0.8% SBOS tend to be leaner in terms of carcass traits. In summary, adding
0.8% SBOS to the diet can increase the composition of fecal SCFAs, change the energy
supply, increase lipid catabolism, and reduce fat anabolism, thereby affecting ADG.

5. Conclusions
The growth performance of growing–finishing pigs was not significantly affected by
dietary supplementation with 0.2% and 0.4% SBOS. The addition of 0.8% SBOS to the
diet altered SCFAs’ content, reduced fat deposition, and improved carcass traits, ADFI,
and ADG.

Author Contributions: Conceptualization, S.C. and J.L.; methodology, S.L.; software, W.T.; data
curation, S.C., J.W. and H.D.; writing—original draft preparation, S.C. and J.W.; writing—review and
editing, S.C., J.W., J.Z., S.L., W.T., H.D. and J.L. All authors have read and agreed to the published
version of the manuscript.
Animals 2023, 13, 3648 9 of 10

Funding: This research was funded by National Pig Technology Innovation Center Pilot Science and
Technology Project (NCTIP-XD/B04) and Sichuan Science and Technology Program (2023YFQ0031;
2023ZHYZ0007).
Institutional Review Board Statement: The animal study protocol was approved by the Institutional
Review Board (or Ethics Committee) of the Southwest University of Science and Technology (protocol
code SM20220318 and 12 December 2022).
Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement: The data presented in this study are contained within the article.
Acknowledgments: We are very grateful to Southwest University of Science and Technology and
Dankook University for supporting this experiment.
Conflicts of Interest: Author Shuwei Li, Wenjie Tang, and Hui Diao were employed by the company
Sichuan Animtech Group Co., Ltd. The funder had no role in the design of the study; in the collection,
analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish
the results. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any
commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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