Dulcoapetente S-400 increases intake in medicated feed

Appetence and feed palatability are key issues to achieve optimal performance, with smell and taste being the main factors affecting feed intake. While smell governs appetence, taste determines the acceptance or refusal of feed. The mechanisms involved in taste recognition are the same for all mammals, however, interpretation may differ by species or individual. Thus, a substance may result tasty for the human being but not for an animal. Aspartame is a good example, as it is sweet for humans but insipid for pigs. Interpretation also depends on previous experiences. For instance, bitter is a taste connected to discomfort. Its sensivity is more marked than other tastes, being responsible for most of feed refusals. It is common to find bitter taste in vegetable raw materials and medicines. In the wild, bitter substances are usually harmful; in fact, many of lethal toxins found in poisonous plants are described as bitter alkaloids. In order to face this situation, Norel has created Dulcoapetente S-400, especially designed to mask the bitter taste and promote adequate feeding behavior. In medicated feed for weaned piglets and when compared to a control group, daily feed intake was improved by 20.3%, average daily gain by 36.8%, and conversion index by 12.0%