Abstract
Simple SummaryDietary fiber has attracted considerable research interest worldwide. Inulin is a critical soluble dietary fiber. This study investigated the effects of dietary inulin supplementation on the growth performance and meat quality in pigs, which provided novel insights into the application of inulin for the livestock industry.Inulin is one of the commercially feasible dietary fibers that has been implicated in regulating the gut health and metabolism of animals. This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary inulin supplementation on growth performance and meat quality in growing–finishing pigs. Thirty-six Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire White growing barrows (22.0 ± 1.0 kg) were randomly allocated to two dietary treatments consisting of a basal control diet (CON) or basal diet supplemented with 0.5% inulin (INU). Results showed that inulin supplementation tended to increase the average daily gain (ADG) at the fattening stage (0.05 < p < 0.10). Inulin significantly increased the dressing percentage (p < 0.05) and tended to increase the loin-eye area. The serum concentrations of insulin and IGF-I were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the INU group than in the CON group. Moreover, inulin supplementation significantly elevated the expression level of myosin heavy chain II b (MyHC IIb) in the longissimus dorsi (p < 0.05). Inulin significantly upregulated the expression of mammalian rapamycin target protein (mTOR) but decreased (p < 0.05) the expression level of muscle-specific ubiquitin ligase MuRF-1. These results show the beneficial effect of inulin supplementation on the growth performance and carcass traits in growing–finishing pigs, and will also facilitate the application of inulin in swine production.
Highlights
Inulin is a group of naturally occurring polysaccharides belonging to a class of dietary fiber known as fructans [1]
We found that serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and insulin concentrations were both significantly elevated after inulin supplementation
We found that dietary inulin supplementation significantly increased the carcass weight and the dressing percentage, and tended to increase loin muscle area
Summary
Inulin is a group of naturally occurring polysaccharides belonging to a class of dietary fiber known as fructans [1]. Fermentation of inulin by intestinal bacteria produces a large number of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as the acetate, propionate, and butyrate, which can stimulate the production and secretion of the mucous layer covering the mucosal surface of the gastrointestinal tract [1]. This mucous layer is composed of high molecular glycoproteins and is considered to be the first line of defense against invasion [7]. Mice fed a butyrate-enriched high-fat diet have increased thermogenesis and energy expenditure and are resistant to obesity [9]
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