Supplemental effect of coated refined fish oil on the performance of finishing pigs fed diets containing soybean meal as a partial alternative to barley or wheat feed ingredient

Abstract

A total of 195 finishing pigs with an average body weight (BW) of 78.65 ± 0.09 kg were assigned to one of three dietary treatments in a 28-d trial. The designated nutritional diets were as follows: CON; TRT1, CON + 0.2% coated refined fish oil; and TRT2, CON + 10% barley + 0.2% coated refined fish oil. The inclusion of coated refined fish oil with the barley-based diet significantly increased BW, average daily gain, and feed conversion ratio of finishing pigs throughout the experimental period. At the end of the experiment, pigs fed coated refined fish oil with the barley-based diet showed a significant improvement on nutrient digestibility of dry matter and nitrogen. Moreover, gas emission of NH3 and H2S concentration were significantly reduced. Also, drip loss during days 5 and 7 was significantly decreased in meat quality analysis of pigs fed coated refined fish oil supplemented to a barley-based diet. Furthermore, dietary coated refined fish oil with barley-based diet had significantly increased fatty acid profile of belly meat and reduced belly fat. In summary, the inclusion of coated refined fish oil with barley diet positively impacts on growth performance and nutritional values of meat quality in finishing pigs.