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Introduction: Salmonellosis is the second most commonly occurring bacterial zoonosis in Germany. Rye in pig feeding offers new possibilities for addressing that issue due to its high content of non‐starch polysaccharides (NSPs). These are fermented in the intestinal tract to specific fermentation products, which seem to have bacteriolytic effects against Salmonella. A coarse feed structure can display synergistic effects. Methods: Seven conventional pig fattening farms increased the rye content (40%–70%) while limiting the amount of fine particles (maximum of 20% ≤0.25 mm). Samples from pigs were tested for Salmonella antibodies and compared with samples from 167 farms without any changes to the feed. Results: Rye‐based diets had a significant (p < 0.05) impact on Salmonella antibody (percentage optical density [OD%]) detection. In this study, it became apparent that significantly fewer positive OD% values could be detected due to the increase in rye compared to farms that did not change the feed (Farm 6 P0: 35.45 ± 36.18; P1: 15.48 ± 16.98; P2: 9.36 ± 8.17). An elimination of Salmonella could not be achieved, but especially farms with high antibody counts were able to strongly reduce those in both phases consecutively (Farm 5 P0: 35.17 ± 35.53; P1: 18.56a ± 20.96; P2: 13.38a ± 18.99). That was different on farms without adapted feeding, where an increase in Salmonella antibodies was observed (P0: 17.38 ± 22.21; P1: 20.12 ± 25.39; P2: 18.12 ± 25.44). Conclusion: By increasing the proportion of rye and limiting the proportion of fine particles in the feed, Salmonella antibodies (OD% values) in meat juice and blood can be significantly reduced, especially on farms with an initially high incidence of Salmonella. If that is implemented in feeding across the board on farms, an improvement in food safety and a decreased risk of zoonosis can be expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The use of by-products such as rye bran in sow diets is interesting in terms of functional ingredients, cost, and sustainability. Rye bran has many positive properties for the intestinal health of sows, so its use in their diet is appropriate. In this study, the effects of rye bran in a compound feed for lactating sows were investigated with regard to performance in terms of loss of body weight and backfat thickness in the sow as well as weight gains in piglets. There was no significant effect of rye bran on the performance of sows concerning the above parameters. The daily weight gains of the piglets also showed no differences. From a cost and sustainability perspective, the use of by-products such as rye bran in sow diets is of particular interest. Rye bran has valuable ingredients that have potential benefits for the gut health of sows. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of including 15% rye bran in the sows' feed on the performance of sows and piglets. The feeding started one week before the farrowing date and ended at weaning. Performance was evaluated by measuring sow (n = 175) and piglet body weight (n = 1372) and sows' backfat thickness (n = 80). These data were additionally used to calculate the colostrum intake of the suckling piglets and the sows' milk production. It was found that there were no differences in the performance parameters between the experimental and control groups. However, this study showed that the piglets with light birth weight (LBW (<1000 g)) and medium birth weight (MBW (1000–1500 g) consumed more colostrum when the sows were fed rye bran (LBW: C/R 203.0 ± 39.2 g/214.3 ± 35.9 g; MBW: 291.3 ± 39.0 g/298.5 ± 36.4 g). It can be concluded that including 15% rye bran in the feed of lactating sows has no obvious negative effects on the performance of sows and piglets. Further studies are needed to evaluate the possible positive effects of rye bran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Salmonellosis in humans is still a serious disease, which is mainly caused by the consumption of contaminated food. Functional ingredients in feed are expected to reduce susceptibility to the ubiquitous Salmonella and thus prevent food contamination. Rye is becoming increasingly popular in pig feeding. The use of by-products such as rye bran in pig feeding is also of great interest. Rye and its by-product rye bran offer the possibility of introducing high-quality feedstuffs with positive effects on the pig's intestinal health into a feed. These effects are caused by functional ingredients that are metabolized by microorganisms in the large intestine. Previous studies have shown the positive effect of reducing Salmonella prevalence in young pigs. This study investigated in a field study whether rye or rye bran has a positive effect on Salmonella prevalence in gilts, sows, and piglets. The antibody titers of the rye groups in the gilts were significantly lower. This suggests that the use of rye leads to lower incidents of infection, but this effect was not reflected in the environmental samples. The inconsistent presence of Salmonella and the experimental design were not sufficient to show a clear effect in a field study. The nutritional benefits of rye (and therefore rye bran) are mainly due to its high content of fermentable dietary fiber, the non-starch polysaccharides (NSP). Microorganisms in the large intestine are able to convert these into short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), including butyrate. Butyrate strengthens the epithelial barrier function in the colon by nourishing the enterocytes and inhibiting the spread of Salmonella in the intestinal tract. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test under field conditions whether a diet with rye or rye bran as the main ingredient for gilts, sows, and weaned piglets is associated with a lower Salmonella prevalence. Depending on the age groups, between 20–30% rye or between 15–20% rye bran was used in the experimental group. A total of n = 1983 boot swabs, n = 356 fecal samples, and n = 1909 serum samples were examined. The results of this study show that rye or rye bran at the levels used had no apparent effect on the number of positive Salmonella samples. However, the Salmonella OD values in the experimental groups were significantly lower than in the control group. This suggests that the use of rye leads to a lower incidence of infection, but this effect could not be proven from swabs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial fermentation of undigested carbohydrates in the hindgut has considerable potential for the stimulation or inhibition of the growth of distinct bacteria within microbiota. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether high levels of rye affect porcine gut microbiota composition with subsequent effects on the load of Salmonella Typhimurium, an intestinal pathogen with zoonotic relevance. Therefore, forty-two 25-day-old piglets were allocated to two groups and fed a diet containing either 69% wheat or 69% rye for 35 days. One week after introducing the two different diets, the piglets were experimentally infected with Salmonella Typhimurium. The microbiota composition of cecal and fecal samples of the piglets were evaluated 28 days after infection. In the cecum, promoted growth of Bifidobacterium, several lactic acid bacteria and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii were seen in pigs fed the diet containing 69% rye. Bacterial species belonging to the genera Bifidobacterium and Catenisphaera were associated with differing bacterial counts of Salmonella Typhimurium detected in the cecal contents of all piglets in both feeding groups via cultural cultivation. The high intake of rye instead of wheat seems to promote the growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria accompanied by impaired growth conditions for the foodborne pathogen Salmonella Typhimurium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterisation of the variations in physico-chemical properties of grains may help to improve the feeding value of grains for animal nutrition. Thus, this study aimed to obtain more extensive quantitative ideas concerning different physico-chemical properties of wheat, hybrid rye, and barley. The samples were ground in a hammer mill using screen size of 1, 3, and 6 mm, respectively. The cumulative mean particle distribution at >1.0 mm of the ground grains showed significant differences between wheat and hybrid rye (4.63 and 9.13%, respectively). At dry sieve analysis of 6 mm screen size, hybrid rye had significantly higher mean particle size distribution of >1.0 mm (26.8%) than for ground wheat and barley. Ground wheat using a 1 mm mesh sieve had the lowest water holding capacity and swelling capacity (1.89 g H2O/g dry matter (DM); p =.001 and 1.33 mL H2O/g DM; p =.021, respectively) compared to hybrid rye and barley. Ground hybrid rye using a 1 mm mesh sieve had the significantly highest extract viscosity (6.22 mPa s). Ground wheat had the lowest (p <.001) corrected sediment rate. In general, ground hybrid rye had always a higher feed particle size >1 mm regardless of the grinding size. Ground wheat had the lowest water holding capacity irrespective of the grinding mesh sieve. Finally, hybrid rye in general is characterised by high extract viscosity (6.22 mPa s at 1 mm grinding size), which decreased with coarser grinding (3.75 and 3.10 mPa s at 3 and 6 mm, respectively). Particle size distribution is directly affected by the grinding process. Water holding capacity and swelling capacity are two complementary measurements. Extract viscosity seems to be affected by grinding; however, the sedimentation rate is influenced by the grain type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]