Bicar®Z for pig feed

Stable but threatened Swine production

Today more than ever, you are facing many uncertainties and threats to the pork industry: international environment, health crises, societal pressure. Some solutions can help you overcome this such as taking into account the well-being of your animals, investing efficiently, saving energy and optimizing feed. The calculation of the Electrolytic Balance is part of this approach and Bicar®Z enables you to optimise it.

Why electrolytic balance is important?

Animals use minerals to regulate the physicochemical parameters of their organism, in particular the acid-base balance. These minerals come from what they eat and drink and are vital elements because they facilitate the circulation of nutrients in the cells and the elimination of waste. They also make the nerves, muscles, heart and brain of the animal function normally and balance the amount of water and pH level in their body. 

Why use Bicar®Z for pig feed? 

A pig feed must meet the animal's maintenance, growth and reproduction needs. Therefore, good pig feed contains sufficient energy, protein, minerals and vitamins. 

But with rising temperatures and other stress conditions, the animal's respiratory rate increases: faster respiration removes more carbon dioxide from the bloodstream and changes the blood's pH level, leading to metabolic acidosis. It is therefore necessary to buffer the pH by means of sodium bicarbonate in pig feed.

Simple and efficient, Bicar®Z is a pig feed additive that enhances productivity and well-being in livestock.

Increasing the "Average Daily Gain" (ADG)

In most trials, the use of Bicar®Z helps to increase pigs' intake. The consumption of Bicar®Z by the sow thus helps to maintain milk production and significantly reduce the weight loss of piglets due to the end of lactation.

For more than 40 years, we have been working hand in hand with independent experts including veterinarians, zootechnics consultants, universities, and researchers. With them, we continually conduct studies and trials to ensure the effectiveness of BicarⓇZ, the best pig feed formula, for the well-being and performance of your animals.

Discover Bicar®Z, the sodium bicarbonate supplement for your pigs

Improving meat quality by using sodium bicarbonate for pigs

Bicar®Z helps to improve the classification and quality of the carcass: the muscle content increases because the depth of the muscle also increases and the thickness of the fat decreases.

It is also noted that the meat is more tender and juicy when BicarⓇZ is added to the drinking water before slaughter, without altering the taste or colour of the meat.

Bicar®Z prevents health problems due to a rich diet

The feed for pigs is particularly well optimized, but rich in energy that predispose to acid-base imbalances.

The result is a decrease in blood pH, characteristic of metabolic acidosis, which can reduce feed efficiency (reduction in Average Daily Gain - ADG) and affect the health of the livestock. Pigs may be prone, for example, to reduced performance, gastric and intestinal ulcers or musculoskeletal disorders (lameness, osteochondrosis).

A natural buffer to prevent acidosis and heat stress in pigs

As with ruminants and poultry, high-performance, high-energy feed makes pigs prone to acid-base imbalances, particularly metabolic acidosis. 

They are also sensitive to high temperatures which often generate heat stress. Pigs generate their own body heat and have self-regulating processes to maintain the right body temperature. However, they are not able to regulate their body temperature through sweating and this makes them susceptible to heat stress.

When temperatures exceed critical limits, the heat absorbed and produced is greater than what the animal is able to dissipate, and hyperthermia occurs with consequent loss of well-being.

Rising summer temperatures therefore expose pig farms to significant reductions in feed consumption and subsequent growth.

Heat stress consequences can be:

• A higher body temperature, 
• An increase in respiratory rate, resulting in a decrease in blood bicarbonate levels, 
• Significant sodium loss through the urinary tract,
• But also a decrease in performance (growth, feed efficiency, sow milk production and fertility).    

There are several options for reducing heat stress in pigs which range from animal physiology and nutrition to heat conduction and heat loss mechanisms in the environment, e.g:

• if cooling or improved ventilation is not possible, the density of the animals should be reduced during periods of extreme heat;
• water sprinklers, exhaust fans and ceiling fans can be used to lower the animals' body temperature;
• for pigs reared outdoors, it is important to create areas protected from direct sunlight;
• provide plenty of clean, fresh water;
• feed early in the morning and late in the evening, avoiding the hottest hours
• add additives to the feed to counter mineral loss and alteration of physiological pH.

Learn more about heat stress    

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Thanks to the buffering power of bicarbonate, Bicar®Z helps to reduce metabolic acidosis and heat stress for swine. It is also a pure source of chlorine-free sodium that effectively compensates for sodium losses.

Managing reproduction more efficiently 

Bicar®Z contributes to increasing the survival rate of piglets and shortening the reproduction cycle.