Bert Driessen

TL;DR: Stevioside orally administered to pigs was completely converted into steviol by the bacteria of the colon, however, no stevioside orSteviol could be detected in the blood of the animals, even not after converting stEViol into the (7-methoxycoumarin-4-yl)methyl ester of steviola, a very sensitive fluorescent derivative with a detection limit of about 50 pg.

TL;DR: Generally, Mg could lower loin damage, whereas vitamin C and vitamin E supplementation resulted in a color improvement of the loin.

TL;DR: Ttryptophan had a positive behavioral effect in this experiment, and vitamin E and Sedafit mediated an increase in some heart variables, suggesting sedative and antianxiety effects.

TL;DR: Reviewing the existing literature concerning environmental enrichment for suckling piglets and lactating sows and the effects on behaviour and mortality finds the potential of other types of enrichment, such as objects or sensory enrichment (e.g. pheromones), as possible applications and their effects on piglet and sow welfare.

TL;DR: It is concluded that straw redirects the pigs' behaviour from pen manipulation and pen mate manipulation to straw manipulation after straw provision, but that there are no or only minor differences in carcass quality, cortisol concentrations, intermediary metabolites, and meat quality of pigs given a temporary straw bedding of 6, 4, or 2 weeks before slaughter or no straw.