Effects of Different Sources of Calcium in the Diet on Growth Performance, Blood Metabolic Parameters, and Intestinal Bacterial Community and Function of Weaned Piglets

Despite a well-documented effect of calcium on the piglet's intestinal microbiota composition, it is less known about changes in microbial function or the effect of different sources of calcium. The experiment was designed to study the effects of dietary calcium from different sources on production, immune indexes, antioxidant capacity, serum biochemical indexes, and intestinal microflora of weaning piglets. A total of 1,000 piglets were randomly assigned to five groups (10 replicate pens per treatment with 20 pigs per pen) and fed diets supplemented with calcium carbonate, calcium citrate, multiple calcium, organic trace minerals, and different concentrations of acidifier. The results showed that the replacement of calcium carbonate with calcium citrate and multiple calcium had almost no significant difference in the growth performance of pigs compared with the control group, and only the diet of multiple calcium dramatically decreased the average daily feed intake (ADFI) compared to the calcium citrate diet on days 15-28 (p < 0.05). The five groups did not change the content of MDA, SOD, and GSH-Px (p > 0.10). A similar situation occurs in the immune function of the blood. There was no significant effect in immune indexes (IgA, IgG, and IgM) among different treatments after weaning at 6 weeks for piglets (p > 0.10). The 16S rRNA sequencing of ileal and cecal microbiota revealed that only the relative abundance of Actinobacteriota at the phyla level was significantly greater in the ileum of the A group compared to the other treatments (p < 0.05). There was a clear effect on seven bacteria in the top 30 genera of ileum and cecum for five groups (p < 0.05). The result of PICRUSt predicted that the intestinal microbe was mainly involved in carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism, membrane transport, and metabolism of cofactors and vitamins. Besides, adding calcium citrate to a weaned piglet diet is better than other choices from the third week to the fourth week. In conclusion, diets with different calcium sources changed ADFI and some intestinal microbial composition of weaned piglets but had little effect on intestinal microbial function.