Effect of phytosterols formula additives on growth performance and immune function of piglets.

The experiment was to investigate the effect of phytosterol formula on growth performance, immune function, nutrient apparent digestibility and intestinal microflora of piglets. The results showed that the feeding phytosterol formula increased the average daily gain of piglets by 14.73%, and reduced diarrhea rate by 62.21%. The serum test found that growth hormone in serum increased by 18.59%, total protein increased by 13.07%, immunoglobulin G increased by 42.70%, and TNF-α decreased by 24.49%. The apparent digestibility rate of dry matter, crude fat and crude protein was improved and the intestinal microbes was significantly boosted. The experiment indicates that the phytosterol formula significantly improves the immune function of piglets and growth performance, which can be potentially used as an antibiotics replacement products in feed industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]