To evaluate anti-diarrhoeal and growth enhancing properties of fermented soya beans in weaned piglets.
Methods and Results: In a first phase piglet diet, toasted full-fat soya beans (20%) were replaced with either
cooked soya beans or Rhizopus microsporus or Bacillus subtilis fermented soya beans. The effect on the incidence,
severity and duration of diarrhoea in enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC)-challenged weaned piglets was
determined (pen trial, 24 piglets per treatment). Severity of diarrhoea was significantly less on the diet with
Rhizopus-fermented soya beans compared with the control diet containing toasted soya beans. Piglets fed
fermented soya beans showed increased feed intake (13 and 12%), average daily weight gain (18 and 21%) and
feed efficiency (3 and 8%) (for Rhizopus and Bacillus-fermented soya beans, respectively). However, in the
treatment groups an unequal mortality and a potential unequal distribution of receptor-positive piglets were
observed.