A renewed focus has been placed on protein-rich ingredients used in pig nutrition for multiple reasons: a need to reduce nitrogen output for environmental protection, finding more sustainable alternatives than soybean and legislative changes, such as the EU ban on the pharmacological use of zinc oxide. Alternative protein sources must ensure that there are no negative impacts on animal performance and health. Feed materials sourced from plants can contain anti-nutritional factors that can induce inflammation in animals, ultimately leading to reduced cellular viability. Sugar-amino acid complexes (SAC) have been linked to a range of beneficial properties, including antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. Due to previously reported beneficial properties, this study aimed to assess the effects of SAC on porcine intestinal cell functioning. The study hypothesised that intestinal cell function would be improved when porcine cells are treated with SAC.