Evaluation of Agolin® Pig on sow and piglet performance and sow fecal microbial communities during lactation

Essential oils are increasingly evaluated as alternatives to antibiotics in swine nutrition. This pilot study investigated the effects of Agolin Pig, a blend of microencapsulated essential oils, on sow performance, piglet growth, and sow fecal microbiota during lactation. Twenty-five sows were randomly assigned to either a control group (CON; <i>n</i> = 13) or a treatment group supplemented with Agolin Pig (AGO; <i>n</i> = 12; 200 ppm) from two weeks pre-farrowing through lactation. Diets for both groups met NRC (2012) nutrient requirements. Sow average daily feed intake (ADFI), body weight, body condition score (BCS), and Knauer Caliper measurements were collected at baseline, one week post-farrowing, and weaning. Piglet average daily gain (ADG) was recorded throughout lactation. Sow fecal samples were collected on d-14, d-7, d0, d8, and d16 relative to farrowing for microbiome analysis. Performance data were analyzed using PROC GLM or MIXED (SAS 9.4), with parity, number nursed, number weaned, and lactation week included as covariates. Microbiota data were analyzed in QIIME2 (v2022.8) and R (v4.2.3). Agolin Pig supplementation did not affect sow ADFI, piglet ADG, or colostrum and milk composition. However, AGO sows lost significantly less body condition during lactation, as measured by the Knauer Caliper (<i>P</i> = 0.010). Beta diversity differed between treatments on d8 (<i>P</i> = 0.029) and tended to differ on d16 (<i>P</i> = 0.066). Additionally, <i>Clostridium</i> and <i>Streptococcus</i> increased in CON but not AGO sows on d8 and d16, respectively. In summary, Agolin Pig supplementation reduced body condition loss and altered sow fecal microbiota diversity during lactation. These findings highlight the potential of essential oils to support sow health and productivity and warrant confirmation in larger studies.