Abstract
As nutrient density requirement decreases with increasing age, finishing pig diets may oversupply nutrients. This can result in excess protein, including the amino acid tryptophan, reaching the large intestine where it can be metabolised by the microbial flora providing a substrate for bacterial skatole production. Skatole can give rise to carcass taint. The use of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP), has been proposed to reduce the levels of production and absorption of skatole. One type of NSP, short chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS), has shown to influence the microbial population and reduce skatole production in vivo (Xu et al. 2002). It is thought the reduction in skatole production is due to an increased requirement for amino acids for bacterial cell protein synthesis, combined with changed microbial biota and pH which shifts the microbial metabolism of tryptophan toward indole production. This study explored the effect of a dietary inclusion of scFOS on the production of skatole and performance of a commercial UK genotype taken to heavier slaughter weight.
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