Abstract: Corn served as the primary energy feed source, yet domestic supplied remains heavily import-dependent. In 2024, China led global corn imports with 13.64 million metric tons. Recent years had seen rising production costs for corn-based feed due to policy changing and other factors. Finding corn alternatives was critical to develop intensive and sustainable operations in China's swine industry. Research showed cyperus esculentus, vegetable waste (vegetable processing residues), fruit pomace, and cassava worked well as alternative energy feeds. Studying their nutrition, metabolism, and effects on intestinal microbiota and gut barriers would help improve their use as replacements. This review examined the nutritional value of Cyperus esculentus, vegetable waste (vegetable processing residues), fruit pomace, and cassava, focused on how they affect intestinal microbiota. The goal was to support better feed solutions and sustainable growth in China's swine and feed industries.

Key words: swine, cyperus esculentus, vegetable processing residues, fruit pomace, cassava, intestinal microbiota