Lipid profile of subcutaneous fat, growth performance, and carcass characteristics of gilts fed with diets supplemented with ractopamine, organic chromium or subjected to energetic feed restriction

Luana Cristiane dos Santos,Luiz Henrique Viana,Stephan Alexander da Silva Alencar,Charles Kiefer,Danilo Alves Marçal,Taynah Vieira Aguiar Farias,Leandro Fontoura Cavalheiro

doi:10.1590/0103-8478cr20190429

Luana Cristiane dos Santos, Luiz Henrique Viana + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-8478cr20190429

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Abstract

ABSTRACT: This study identified the effects of dietary supplementation with ractopamine, chromium picolinate, chromium yeast, or an energetic feed restriction on the growth performance and lipid profile of subcutaneous fat, in late finishing gilts. Twenty genetically similar gilts with initial body weight of 105.35 ± 4.77 kg and a final body weight of 131.37 ± 5.58 kg were distributed in a completely randomized block design with five treatments (control; ractopamine: 20 ppm; chromium picolinate: 0.48 ppm; chromium yeast: 0.80 ppm; and energetic feed restriction: -150 kcal kg-1 of metabolizable energy), with four replicates of one animal each. The experimental diets were isonutritives, except for the metabolizable energy level of the diet fed to the group subjected to energy restriction. There were no effects on the growth performance and carcass characteristics. Ractopamine and organic chromium (picolinate and yeast) supplementation increased the concentration of total polyunsaturated fatty acid. The proportion of α-linolenic fatty acids were higher when the diets were supplemented with ractopamine or chromium yeast. The energy restriction increased the n-6:n-3 ratio and reduced α-linolenic acid concentration. Therefore, ractopamine, chromium picolinate, chromium yeast supplementation, and energetic feed restriction did not affect the growth performance or carcass characteristics but altered the lipid profile of subcutaneous fat in finishing gilts. Ractopamine and organic chromium supplementation increased PUFA in the fat of finishing female pigs.

Highlights

Feeding ractopamine-supplemented diets for finishing pigs increases carcass lean mass and reduces the amount of carcass fat (POMPEU et al, 2017)
The use of ractopamine in the diets for pigs is still allowed in Brazil; its use is banned in the European Union countries, China, and Russia (NIÑO et al, 2017)
To homogenize the variability in body weights (BW) among the treatments, the animals were distributed based on the initial BW to one of the five treatments [control (CON), ractopamine supplementation (RAC), chromium picolinate supplementation (CrPIC), chromium yeast supplementation (CrYST), and energy feed restriction (EFR)] using a completely randomized block design, with four replicates of one animal each

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Feeding ractopamine-supplemented diets for finishing pigs increases carcass lean mass and reduces the amount of carcass fat (POMPEU et al, 2017). Dietary supplementation with organic chromium (JACKSON et al, 2009; MARCOLLA et al, 2017) and a reduction in dietary energy density (AYMERICH et al, 2020) are among the nutritional strategies adopted to replace ractopamine and decrease fat deposition in finishing pig carcasses. Energetic feed restriction is a nutritional strategy that can be adopted for finishing pigs This technique is based on the reduction of the dietary energy without impairing growth performance or carcass characteristics in the phase in which the body’s protein synthesis and accretion decrease, while the fat deposition increases (DE LANGE et al, 2001). This study evaluated the effects of ractopamine, organic chromium, or the energetic feed restriction on the growth performance and the proportion of fatty acids in the subcutaneous fat of finishing gilts

MATERIALS AND METHODS

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

CONCLUSION