# Growing Tibetan Pigs Adapt to High-Fiber Diets by Enhancing Fiber Degradation Capacity

## TL;DR

Tibetan pigs adapt to high-fiber diets through gut microbes that break down fiber and produce beneficial fatty acids.

## Contribution

This study reveals how Tibetan pigs efficiently use high-fiber diets through specific gut bacteria and enzyme activity.

## Key findings

- High-fiber diets increased cellulase and hemicellulase activities in Tibetan pigs.
- Fibrobacter and p-75-a5 bacteria correlated with higher enzyme activity and short-chain fatty acid production.
- Tibetan pigs utilize fiber efficiently through specialized gut microbiota and enzyme secretion.

## Abstract

The Tibetan pig is a unique breed native to the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, which has adapted to the grazing system of high-altitude pastures and exhibits remarkable tolerance to crude fiber. However, with the transition to large-scale intensive farming, their diets have been optimized for short-term growth efficiency. This nutritional composition conflicts with the Tibetan pig’s evolved adaptation to high-fiber intake. Despite possessing high fiber tolerance, the mechanisms by which enzymes and bacteria synergistically enable efficient utilization of coarse fiber in the Tibetan pig gut remain unclear. This study examined the effect of high-fiber diets on the proliferation of fecal fiber-degrading bacteria, activity of fiber-digesting enzymes, and production of short-chain fatty acids in Tibetan pigs during their growth phase.

The systematic analysis of the synergistic mechanism between microbial fiber-degrading enzymes and short-chain fatty acids under high-fiber diet conditions is limited. In this study, we evaluated the effects of a high-fiber diet on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood and serum metrics, cellulase/hemicellulase activity, and fecal microbial composition of growing Tibetan pigs. Forty Tibetan pigs were allocated to a control group (CON, the diet contains 5% crude fiber) or a high-fiber group (HF, the diet contains 10% crude fiber) based on crude fiber levels as a blocking factor. The pre-trial period was 7 d, and the formal trial lasted 28 d. CON group and HF group showed no effect on growth performance and nutrient apparent digestibility (p > 0.05). The HF group showed significantly higher fecal cellulase and hemicellulase activities than those of the CON group (p < 0.05). Additionally, the HF group showed significantly elevated levels of acetic, propionic, and butyric acids, as well as increased relative abundances of Fibrobacter and p-75-a5 in the feces (p < 0.05). The correlation analysis revealed that Fibrobacter exhibited significant positive correlations with acetic acid, butyric acid, cellulase, and hemicellulase, whereas p-75-a5 was significantly positively correlated with hemicellulase (p < 0.05). In conclusion, this study provides strong evidence that the efficient utilization of dietary fiber by Tibetan pigs results from highly specialized microbial mechanisms in their large intestine, as reflected by their fecal microbiota composition. Fibrobacter and p-75-a5 play a crucial role in enabling these pigs to utilize fiber effectively. Certain specific microbiota secrete a greater quantity of enzymes to facilitate the decomposition of dietary fiber, and this process ultimately leads to the generation of more metabolites.