Gut Health

Tips on Gut Health

Dr. Gonzalo González-Mateos

Hongyao Lin (Regional Director APSA – MSD Animal Health) and Miquel Collell (Global Technical Director ReproPig & SowCare – MSD Animal Health) welcome Prof Gonzalo González-Mateos this week, a world-leading expert in animal feed and nutrition. The trio discuss whether, if antibiotic use is restricted, producers have to accept the trade-off between gut health and pig growth?

Prof González-Mateos warns that people often get lost seeking easy answers to complex questions. But investigating scour is like ‘dealing with tangled yarn’, in order to unpick it you need to know what not to do. This also forms the basis of a good nutritional strategy.

We look at common mistakes including: misjudging the fermentation roles of carbohydrate and protein in pig diarrhoea and not paying enough attention to the role of protein in gut pH.

Examining the benefits of cereal additives and the neglected role of fibre, the professor speaks of his enlightening experiences travelling overseas. Whilst the hosts consider Prof John Pluske’s studies on the ‘beautiful digestibility’ of rice carbohydrates and the mystery of how it improves pigs’ appetites.

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Dr. Gonzalo González-Mateos

Dr. Gonzalo González-Mateos

Professor Gonzalo Gonzalez Mateos is a technician of great prestige in the animal nutrition sector, with several published works and development of research for the evolution of the market. He is a specialist in Zootechnics from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, has a degree in Veterinary Medicine from the Complutense University of Madrid, a PhD in Veterinary Medicine from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and a PhD in Avian Nutrition from Iowa State University – USA.