Influence of Combination of Two Plant Extracts and Liquid Minerals Supplementation in Drinking Water on Growth Performance and Meat Quality in Pigs

Abstract

A feeding trial was conducted by supplementing Mentha arvensis (MA), Geranium thunbergii (GT) and liquid minerals (LM) in drinking water of pigs and the effects on growth, carcass characteristics and meat quality were evaluated. A total of 80 pigs were allocated into 4 treatments: control (0% plant extracts, 0% LM), T1 (0.1% LM + 0.1% 1 MA: 4 GT), T2 (0.1% LM + 0.1% 4 MA:1 GT), T3 (0.1 % LM + 0.1% 1 MA:1 GT). Weight gain was significantly increased in T3. However, the dietary treatments had no significant effect on carcass weight, back fat thickness and water holding capacity (WHC). A significant reduction in cooking loss and shear force was observed in T2. Considering the meat color, T3 significantly increased the a* value. Microbial count was significantly decreased (P less than 0.05) at 0-week of storage in T3. Our studies indicate that plant extracts and liquid minerals enhances the growth performance and meat quality, without any adverse effects.