Plasma reduced folates, reproductive performance, and conceptus development in sows in response to supplementation with oxidized and reduced sources of folic acid.

The study was conducted to determine the response of sows to oxidized and reduced forms of supplemental folic acid in the diet. Gilts were mated and fed a standard corn-soybean meal diet with no supplemental folic acid. On d 105 of gestation, gilts were randomly assigned to one of four dietary treatments for the remainder of the study. Treatments were: 1) diet with no supplemental folate (control), 2) diet with 2.1 ppm (calculated) of added folate supplied by a synthetic pteroylmonoglutamate form (MG), 3) diet with 2.1 ppm (calculated) of added folate supplied by N5-formyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolic acid (THFA), or 4) a commercial bacterial cell powder source (Aj-PG) rich in reduced folates. Blood samples for high-performance liquid chromotography determination of reduced plasma folates were collected from gilts on d 105 of gestation, at weaning, at mating, and when the females were slaughtered on d 45 after mating for the second parity. There were 19, 18, 18, and 22 sows for the control, MG, THFA, and Aj-PG treatments, respectively. Supplementing folacin just before farrowing and during lactation had no effect on sow and litter performance during parity 1 (P > 0.10). Live fetuses at d 45 of gestation in Parity 2 were 10.06, 12.23, 10.87, and 11.07 for the control, MG, THFA, and Aj-PG treatments, respectively, and did not differ (P > 0.10). Fetal survival and placental size and protein content were generally unaffected by folate treatment. Concentration of reduced folates in sow plasma was 13.50, 13.58, 22.50, and 17.79 nM at weaning and 12.55, 19.29, 18.96, and 21.88 nM at mating for the control, MG, THFA, and Aj-PG treatments, respectively, with the THFA treatment elevated above the controls at weaning (P < 0.05) and the Aj-PG treatment greater than controls at mating (P < 0.05). At weaning, the reduced sources of supplemental folate (THFA and Aj-PG) were more effective in elevating plasma reduced folates than the oxidized folate supplement (MG; P < 0.05). Nonetheless, folate supplementation did not significantly improve sow reproductive performance in the subsequent parity, and there was no indication that reduced folate sources were superior to the oxidized pteroylmonoglutamate form as folate supplements for sows.