The effects of a dietary supplement of biotin on Italian heavy pigs' (160 kg) growth, slaughtering parameters, meat quality and the sensory properties of cured hams

Abstract

To evaluate the effects of a dietary supplementation with biotin on heavy pigs' productive performances (including meat and cured hams quality), 45 Landrace×Large White barrows with an initial average body weight (BW) of 35 kg were allocated to three experimental groups: a control group (A) fed with a maize/soybean diet and two treatment groups (B and C) receiving the same diet as group A but with the addition of crystalline biotin at 150 and 300 ppb, respectively. Pigs were fed at the rate of 9% of their metabolic BW (BW 0.75) up to a maximum of 3.2 kg/pig per day. Pigs were slaughtered at about 160 kg BW. Animals on biotin diets showed a higher ( P<0.05) average daily weight gain (ADG) during the finishing phase. The addition of biotin to the diet resulted in lower L* and hue values of loin ( P<0.05). The dietary treatment significantly affected the fatty acid composition of the subcutaneous fat of the fresh thigh, resulting in an increase of saturated acids and in a lowering of the sum of unsaturated acids and the iodine number in biotin-treated animals ( P<0.05). Our results indicate that biotin may play a positive role on heavy pigs' growth, meat quality and the sensory and technological properties of cured hams.