Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of sweet wormwood supplements on bioproductive parameters of piglets. Sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua) is an herbaceous plant from the family of Asteraceae/Compositae. Besides the main active substance, artemisinin, the sweet wormwood also is a source of antioxidants. Sweet wormwood was cultivated by S.C. TRANSAPICOLA S.A. It was established the chemical composition of the plant and it was used in piglets diets. An experiment was conducted on 39 weaned Landrace x Large White piglets, in the presence of mineral deficit. The piglets were assigned to 3 groups (C, E1 and E2) and received the same corn-sunflower soybean meal diet, however, with different mineral premixes: the diet for C group contained 1% vitamin-mineral premix IBNA Balotesti. The diet for group E1 contained 1% vitamin-mineral premix in which the salts of Cu and Zn were reduced by 50 compared to the standard formulation (C) plus 1% sweet wormwood. The diet for group E2 contained the same premix as E1 plus 2% sweet wormwood. Animal performance indicators recorded in the end of the experiment (average daily weight gain: C - 481.94 g/day; E1 - 487.50 g/day; E2 - 492.30 g/day) and the blood count (leukocytes concentration: C - 21.92 109 / L; 20.42 109 / L; 19.74 109 / L; haemoglobin concentration: C - 9.3 g/dL; 9.04 g/dL; 9.14 g/dL) showed that the dietary sweet wormwood replaced the deficit of Cu and Zn (with antimicrobial action) maintaining the physiological state of the animals within the normal parameters for that particular category.
