## 5 Jerusalem Artichoke Supplementation Effects in Monogastric Animals on Productive Performances  
### Effects of Jerusalem Artichoke Inclusion in Pig Diets  
According to [PERSON] [61], J.A. tubers are acknowledged to possess a high nutritional value for domestic animals. Historically, it was common practice to let pigs forage in fields where the aerial parts of J.A. plants had been cut, and the pigs would dig up and consume the tubers directly on the field [78]. Jerusalem artichoke tubers were considered a viable alternative feed for pigs during periods of potato scarcity [79]. In a study conducted by [PERSON] et al. [7], the impact of free-range foraging on J.A. and the effects of feeding concentrates either restrictively (at 30% of energy recommendations) or ad libitum on pigs was investigated. The results revealed that pigs fed restrictively exhibited a significantly lower daily gain (560 vs. 1224 g per pig) and an improved feed conversion ratio (17.6 vs. 42.8 MJ ME concentrate per kg live weight gain). In their study, [PERSON] et al. [3] studied the impact of supplementing Jerusalem artichoke tuber flour (1.5%), which is rich in fructooligosaccharides, to 28-day-old weaning pigs and registered a decrease in daily feed intake, daily weight gain, and feed conversion ratio as a result of the supplementation.  
Figure 2: The effects of incorporating J.A. into the diet of monogastric animals, and its benefits linked to inulin.  
Again, [PERSON] [5] studied raw tuber supplementation in 28-day-old weaned pigs and noticed significantly increased body weight gain, but a reduction in feed efficiency. In a second trial, the pigs were fed a diet containing dried J.A. (10 to 60 g/kg) and a significant increase in weight gain was observed, and although feed efficiency showed improvement, the increase was not statistically significant. [PERSON] et al. [62] observed that the daily weight gain of the group fed with 12.2% J.A. showed significantly lower results (\(p=0.042\)).  
The digestion of intact J.A. tubers in pigs is clearly dependent on microbial activity in the digestive tract. Jerusalem artichoke tubers are very rich in fructan, and fructose liberated from fructans is 50% partially digested up to the ileum. A very low ileal digestibility of a diet containing fresh tubers of Jerusalem artichokes was obtained. By analyzing short fatty acids, it was observed that some of the resulting carbohydrates were subjected to microbial transformation in the fore-gut. Table 2 presents values of intestinal digestibility in pigs fed Jerusalem artichoke tubers in the study of [PERSON] et al. [80].  
A summary of the previous studies presented concludes that incorporating J.A. into pig diets presents opportunities as well as challenges. It served as a valuable alternative when potatoes were scarce; however, its impact on pig nutrition varies across studies. While some indicate enhanced feed efficiency and reduced undesirable compounds like skatole, others report fluctuations in weight gain and feed efficiency. Achieving the best results requires meticulous attention to diet composition and supplementation levels when using Jerusalem artichoke as a feed resource for pigs.