Acceptability, Preferences, and Palatability of Diets Containing Summer and Winter Brassica Forage in Growing Pigs: A Pilot Study

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The inclusion of fiber in pigs’ commercial diets may represent an opportunity to reduce feeding costs and benefit animals’ health and welfare. However, antinutritional factors that generate a bitter taste may reduce the voluntary intake of animals. The present experiments evaluated growing pigs’ feeding behavior for winter and summer brassicas, when incorporated on commercial diets as a replacement for wheat middlings. Experiment 1 studied the feeding behavior of pigs when summer turnip or forage rape were included into the diets, while experiment 2 studied the inclusion of kale and swede by replacing 15% of wheat middlings. No differences were found between diets that included brassicas and control diet in pigs’ acceptability or palatability. However, during preference tests of experiment 2 (winter brassicas), diet that incorporated swede presented a higher consumption than control diet and a diet that incorporated kale. This suggests that brassica forage may be incorporated in growing pigs’ diets without negative repercussions in animals’ oral perception during short term feeding tests. ABSTRACT: Brassica forage may be included in pigs’ diet as a dietary fiber ingredient to reduce feeding costs, benefit gut health, immune system, reproductive traits, and welfare. However, they contain antinutritional factors which may affect feeding behavior. This study evaluated feeding behavior of growing pigs offered winter (kale and swede) and summer (turnip and forage rape) brassicas incorporated on their diets as dried ground meal. Two consecutive experiments with six growing castrated male pigs were conducted. Experiment 1 evaluated the inclusion of turnip bulbs and forage rape, while experiment 2 studied inclusion of kale and swede bulbs. Brassica meal was included at 15% of the diet by replacing wheat middlings (control diet). In each experiment, pigs were offered experimental diets over six consecutive days for 10 min to test their acceptability (day 1–3) and preferences (day 4–6). No differences were found between diets that included brassicas and control diet in pigs’ acceptability or palatability (p > 0.05). However, during preference tests of winter brassicas, swede presented a higher consumption than control and kale (p < 0.05). This suggest that brassicas may be incorporated in growing pigs’ diets without negative effects in animals’ oral perception during short term feeding tests. Nevertheless, the long-term effects need to be explored.