Effects of Microbial Additive Supplementation on Meat Quality and Fatty Acid Profiles of Growing-Finishing Pigs

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of microbial additive on the meat quality and fatty acid (FA) profiles of growing-finishing pigs. A total of 180 growing-finishing pigs (Landrace x Yorkshire x Duroc; mixed sex; 14 weeks of age; 58.0 ± 1.00 kg) were randomly distributed into three treatments with three pens consisting of 20 growing-finishing pigs per pen for 60 days. The experimental treatments were as follows: 0, 0.5, and 1.0% microbial additive. The crude protein, cooking loss, drip loss, water holding capacity, and shear force in loin muscle were no significant differences among treatments (p>0.05), except for the moisture and crude fat contents. The pH and TBARS of loin muscle shown no significant differences among treatments (p>0.05). However, the L* and a* values of loin muscle were the highest in the 1.0% supplementation group compared with the other treatments (p<0.05). The b* value of loin muscle was the highest in the control group compared with the other treatments (p<0.05). Linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and n-3 FAs contents of loin muscle were the highest in 1.0% supplementation group compared with the other treatments (p<0.05). In conclusion, using 1.0% microbial additive supplementation can improve meat quality by increasing polyunsaturated FA concentration and meat color in pig loins.