The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of bamboo vinegar as an antibiotic alternative
in the diet of weaned piglets on their growth performance and fecal bacterial communities. The
compound composition of bamboo vinegar was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry
(GC–MS). One hundred and twenty weaned piglets (Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire),
with an average weight of 8.4 kg, were randomly assigned to five treatments, with three pens
per treatment. The diets included bamboo vinegar at levels of 0, 0.2, 0.4 or 0.8%, or antibiotics,
and designated as control, BV2, BV4, BV8 and antibiotic, respectively. Feed intake and weight
gain of pigs were recorded at the start and at the end of the feeding trial. At the end of the experiment,
fecal samples of four pigs from each treatment were taken to analyze the fecal bacterial
communities analyzed by using 16S rDNA-based techniques. Amplicons of the V6–V8 variable regions
of bacterial 16S rDNAwere analyzed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. Thirty four
peaks (compounds)were identified or characterized in acetic ether extract frombamboo vinegar.
Themain group frombamboo vinegarwas phenolic compounds, ketone and furfural. Dailyweight
gain of the pigs in BV4 and antibiotic was significantly higher than pigs in the control group. No
significant difference was observed in daily weight gain among pigs fed diet containing bamboo
vinegar and antibiotics. There was no significant difference in feed intake and feed to gain ratio
among different treatment. The serum glutathione peroxidase activity of pigs in BV2 or BV4
was significantly higher than that of pigs in antibiotics treatment (Pb0.05). The pigs in BV2 had
significantly higher serum glutamic–oxaloacetic transaminase activity than those in control
(Pb0.05). No significant differences were found in serumsuperoxide dismutase, hydrogen peroxide,
hydrogen peroxidase, oxidation resistance, malondialdehyde and glutamicpyruvic transaminase
activitiesamong different treatments (P>0.05). The richness and Shannon index of diversity
were significantly lower for the pigs on the diet containing antibiotics than that of control or diets
containing 0.2 or 0.4% bamboo vinegar, and tended to decrease with the increase of bamboo vinegar
inclusion in the diets. The results demonstrate that bamboo vinegar in feed exerts an impact
on the fecal bacterial community of piglets. The reasonable inclusion of bamboo vinegar, like antibiotics
in piglet diet benefited for a better performance of piglets in this experiment. The result
suggested that bamboo vinegar could be used as a potential additive in animal production as antibiotic
alternative.