Umami Boost and Palatability: The Key to Success in Piglet Rearing

The Importance of Feed Intake During Weaning

Weaning is a critical moment in piglet development. The environment changes, sow’s milk disappears, and new solid feed is introduced. If it is poorly accepted, piglets will not approach the feeder in time, which increases stress, weakens immunity, and opens the door to digestive problems.

Feed intake before and after weaning is not only about growth rates but also about the proper development of the digestive system and digestive glands. It forms the basis of enzymatic training: the gastrointestinal tract adapts to digesting new substances from solid feed, and enzymatic activity increases. Herd management and ensuring all piglets can access the trough simultaneously play a key role. Regular feed intake prevents later “gorging,” reducing the risk of microbiota imbalance and diarrhoea. In other words – how piglets consume feed is just as important as its quality.

The Biology of Taste and Its Role in Nutrition

Taste buds

Pigs are exceptionally sensitive to taste and smell. It is no coincidence that humans have long used them to search for truffles, one of nature’s most aromatic products. Pigs have around 15,000 taste buds. This means piglets are born with a much more advanced sense of taste than humans, who have an average of 9,000 taste buds. For comparison: cats have only about 500, while chickens have around 30. This shows how crucial taste is for pigs in assessing feed quality and how strongly it influences intake.

Pig taste buds are located mainly on the tongue, but not exclusively. Taste receptors are also found in the throat, oesophagus, and, most interestingly, in the stomach, intestines, and pancreas. This presence of receptors throughout the digestive tract is key. It means that information about feed composition is read not only on the tongue. Once feed is swallowed, receptors in the stomach and intestines continue to “scan” what has entered the digestive system, triggering a cascade of hormonal responses.

Hormonal response to taste

Hormones such as cholecystokinin (CCK) are responsible for satiety and regulate gastric emptying. Peptide YY and ghrelin control hunger and feed intake. This means that taste is a physiological signal to start digestion and adapt it to feed quality.

Interestingly, pig taste preferences are well studied. It is known that pigs prefer sweet and salty flavours, surpassed only by umami, which they naturally associate with insects.

Pig Taste Preferences

In nature, wild boars (close relatives of domestic pigs) dig in the soil for larvae and small invertebrates rich in protein, instinctively recognising them as a valuable source of amino acids. More than 90% of wild boars in Europe include insect-derived protein in their diet. This shows that the innate preference for the umami taste found in larvae is not artificially learned. It is encoded in their genes.

Taste and smell are also closely linked. Pigs have an exceptionally well-developed sense of smell: 10–20 times stronger than humans. This is why unpleasant feed odours or overly intense artificial flavours can discourage piglets from eating, even if the feed is theoretically high in nutritional value.

Enzymatic Training and Feed Palatability Tests

What determines the umami taste?

Primarily glutamic acid and some amino acids like lysine, methionine, threonine, tryptophan. These are detected by specific taste receptors. Interestingly, the same receptors are present throughout the digestive tract: from the tongue to the intestines. This means that when a piglet consumes feed rich in protein with a strong umami profile, the digestive response is more intense and optimised.

Umami Boost contains high levels of free glutamate, higher than in some raw materials traditionally considered attractive to piglets, such as fishmeal.

The umami taste has another key property: it modulates the perception of other flavours. The presence of glutamic acid enhances sweet and salty tastes while suppressing sour and bitter notes. This means feed with Umami Boost has a balanced sensory profile that encourages piglets to eat.

Behavior also plays a role. Piglets, enticed by the aroma and taste of feed, show greater curiosity. They approach the feeder more quickly, try the feed, and learn to associate taste with safety. This links directly to enzymatic training, since the umami taste triggers enzyme secretion, improves digestibility, and reduces digestive problems.

Palatability and Enzymatic Training

High feed intake from the start means the gastrointestinal tract adapts faster and digestive enzymes begin working more intensively. The earlier a piglet begins consuming solid feed, the lower the risk of “post-weaning fasting,” and thus digestive issues and diarrhoea.

This is why taste matters so much. The natural aroma and flavour of Umami Boost act like a key, unlocking biological mechanisms. Good feed intake also ensures steadier growth, less binge eating later in the fattening stage, and better utilisation of feed nutrients.

Palatability Tests – What Do Piglets Choose

• Group C: feed with 5% fishmeal and flavourings
• Group B: feed with 5% fishmeal without flavourings
• Group A: feed with 2% Umami Boost without fishmeal and without flavourings

The result? Piglets chose feed with Umami Boost, even though it contained neither fishmeal nor added flavourings. This demonstrates that the natural flavour from Umami Boost is a clear signal for the animal. Over the full cycle, piglets consumed about 8% more feed and achieved over 6% higher growth rates.

Taste in Umami Boost

Umami Boost is a functional feed component based on Hermetia illucens larvae. It taps into natural instincts—the same ones that drive wild boars to root for insects. Thanks to innovative production technology, the flavour qualities of Umami Boost are particularly enhanced. Independent chromatographic analysis confirmed the presence of more than 500 flavour and aroma compounds. At the same time, high nutritional value, natural protein structure, and high fat content are preserved. As a result, adding Umami Boost to feed ensures high palatability while also delivering functionalities that support gut microbiota, immunity, and animal welfare. More on natural improvements in piglet rearing results can be found in the article.

Conclusions – Taste as the Foundation of Feed Intake

For piglets, taste is more than pleasure. It is a signal that feed is valuable and safe. Umami Boost fits perfectly into this instinct: its natural umami flavour encourages feed intake, triggers enzymatic training, and reduces the risk of post-weaning fasting.

For farmers, this is a practical tool: the more feed piglets consume before weaning, the fewer health problems and the better the nutrient utilisation in later rearing stages.