Dieta suplementada con nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica L.)modifica el comportamiento productivo y perfil sanguíneo en cerdos

The effect of supplementing the diet of 20-100 kg live-weight (LW) pigs with nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) was evaluated in terms of blood glucose (BG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoproteins (HDL), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), triglycerides (TG), feed intake and growth. Twenty pigs of 22.4 ± 0.9 kg LW were arranged in two groups (G): G1 or control and G2 or experimental. Both groups received a base diet® (BD) ad libitum, but the G2 diet was supplemented with 1 % nopal based on weekly LW. BG, TC, HDL, LDL, TG, BD intake and LW in each pig were evaluated weekly. G2 showed lower values (P < 0.05) of BG (78.8 mg∙dL-1), TC (109.2 mg∙dL-1) and LDL (49.9 mg∙dL-1) and higher values of HDL (57.9 mg∙dL-1) and TG (35.6 mg∙dL-1) than G1. Daily BD intake per pig was lower (P < 0.05) in G2 than in G1. The time (114.9 days) to reach market weight (101.7 kg) was the same in both groups. The addition of 1 % nopal to the diet of pigs for market (20-100 kg) changes the energy metabolism (glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, high- and low-density lipoproteins) and decreases BD intake without affecting pig growth.