Dietary supplementation of chromium for finishing pigs

Dante Teixeira Valente Júnior,Alysson Saraiva,Lucas Medina Teixeira,Lívia Maria Dos Reis Barbosa,Maykelly Da Silva Gomes,Gustavo De Amorim Rodrigues,Fernanda Fialho Abranches,Caroline Brito Da Silva,Ronaldo Lopes Cunha Júnior,Marcos Henrique Soares

doi:10.1590/0103-8478cr20200554

Dante Teixeira Valente Júnior, Alysson Saraiva + Show 8 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-8478cr20200554

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Abstract

ABSTRACT: Increasing fat deposition and feed conversion ratio over the days in finishing phase directly influence pork quality and productive profitability. Nonetheless, the slaughter of heavier pigs can result in benefits for the slaughterhouse due to dilution of production and processing costs, as well as economic benefits for the pig producer resulting from the dilution of production costs. Therefore, dietary supplementation of chromium for finishing pigs of high lean-genotypes is a strategy to increase lean tissue accretion and minimize fat deposition, reflecting positively on growth performance. This review discussed recent studies results and mechanisms of action of this modifier of performance and carcass a traits in finishing pigs. Chromium increases the insulin action, facilitating insulin binding to the receptors on cell membrane. As a result, insulin-sensitive cells uptake more glucose, which will be later converted into energy. This additional energy is use to increase protein synthesis, thereby increasing the amount of lean tissue and reducing fat content in the carcass, without altering protein intake by pigs. Chromium also reduces lipid oxidation rate maintaining meat quality for longer period. In conclusion, dietary Cr supplementation for finishing pigs have shown that 0.2 mg/kg of organic Cr sources for pigs from ~60 kg until the slaughter can improve growth performance, lean gain and reduce fat content in carcass. However, the development of nanotechnology has allowed the use of inorganic Cr source at 0.2 mg/kg of inclusion, leading to improve the growth performance and carcass traits of finishing pigs.

Highlights

Pork is the most consumed meat in the world, reaching a total of 112,433 thousand tons in 2018 (USDA, 2018), highlighting the great importance of pig industry in the world meat market, providing consumers with food of high biological value.Over the years, with advances in breeding programs, genetic strains with less backfat thicknessApproved 11.12.20 Returned CR-2020-0554.R1 by the authorRural, v.51, n.6, and greater potential for muscle deposition have been selected (WOOD & WHITTEMORE, 2006).In the finishing phase is where the greatest change in the carcass composition occurs
Dietary Cr supplementation for finishing pigs have shown that 0.2 mg/kg of organic Cr sources for pigs from ~60 kg until the slaughter can improve growth performance, lean gain and reduce fat content in carcass
The development of nanotechnology has allowed the use of inorganic Cr source at 0.2 mg/kg of inclusion, leading to improve the growth performance and carcass traits of finishing pigs

Summary

Introduction

Pork is the most consumed meat in the world, reaching a total of 112,433 thousand tons in 2018 (USDA, 2018), highlighting the great importance of pig industry in the world meat market, providing consumers with food of high biological value.Over the years, with advances in breeding programs, genetic strains with less backfat thicknessApproved 11.12.20 Returned CR-2020-0554.R1 by the authorRural, v.51, n.6, and greater potential for muscle deposition have been selected (WOOD & WHITTEMORE, 2006).In the finishing phase is where the greatest change in the carcass composition occurs. Dietary supplementation of chromium for finishing pigs of high lean-genotypes is a strategy to increase lean tissue accretion and minimize fat deposition, reflecting positively on growth performance, reported in some studies (Table 1).

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