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Jerusalem Artichoke Improves Pig Diets According to a study “Economic Evaluation of Nutritional Strategies that Affect Manure Volume, Nutrient Content, and Odor Emissions” conducted by the University of Minnesota’s Department of Animal Science, Jerusalem artichoke would be a great addition to pig diets. The following are comments the authors made regarding the tuber: Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) is a native North American plant having a tuber that grows underground. The tubers are high in inulin, which can be broken down to fructooligosaccharide, a carbohydrate. Adding Jerusalem artichoke to growing pig diets has resulted in faster growth and improved feed conversion. In addition, inulin appears to increase growth of bifidobacteria in the pig, reducing diarrhea and swine manure odor. Farnworth et al., 1995, conducted a sensory evaluation study to characterize the smell of fresh (less than 4 hours) swine manure obtained from pigs fed 0 percent, 3 percent and 6 percent Jerusalem artichoke. As shown in table 1, swine manure from pigs fed Jerusalem artichoke smelled sweeter, less sharp and pungent, and had less skatole than pigs fed the control diet. The observed changes in pig manure and subsequent odor are most likely due to the positive influence of Jerusalem artichoke on bifidobacteria in the intestinal microflora.
Table 1: Sensory Evaluation of the Smell of Manure from Pigs Fed Diets Containing Jerusalem Artichoke
Characteristic
0%
3%
6%
Sweet
3.9
4.3
5.0
Earthy
2.5
2.4
2.4
Sour
2.9
2.9
3.3
Sharp, pungent
5.4
4.3
4.1
Skatole
6.0
4.0
3.9
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SOURCE: FARNWORTH ET AL., 1995
any other crop,” he says. “The problem with it right now is we’re looking at how to dry it.” Animal feed crops such as corn or soybeans are dried and then ground into a powder. A similar process has to be developed for the Jerusalem artichokes. “I’ve got to develop a system where we can harvest this and
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