Pig Carcass Characteristics Research Articles

CAPN1 gene as a potential marker for growth performance and carcass characteristics in pigs

The calcium-activated neutral proteinase 1 (CAPN1) gene, which encodes µ-calpain, is considered to be associated with the majority of meat-quality traits. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of CAPN1 polymorphism on the most important slaughter, fattening and pork-quality traits. The genotype frequency of g.1429G>A polymorphism was estimated on 860 pigs represented by five breeds (Polish Landrace, Polish Large White, Pietrain, Duroc and Pulawska). In all breeds, the most frequent were pigs with an AA genotype (60–74%), with the exception of Duroc pigs where the largest number of GG animals was observed (14%). The results showed that g.1429G>A polymorphism significantly affected the number of days on test (P ≤ 0.05) and age at slaughter (P ≤ 0.01), the weight of ham and primary cuts (P ≤ 0.05, P ≤ 0.01 respectively), loin eye area (P ≤ 0.01) and average backfat thickness (P ≤ 0.05). The g.1429G>A single-nucleotide polymorphism showed no clear influence on complex pork-quality traits. At the present stage of research, the results obtained allow for the use of g.1429G>A polymorphism in CAPN1 gene as genetic marker in pig selection to improve several slaughter or fattening traits.

221 Impact of increasing dietary energy concentration through graded levels of corn oil or choice white grease on carcass characteristics in pigs

221 Impact of increasing dietary energy concentration through graded levels of corn oil or choice white grease on carcass characteristics in pigs

Proposal for standard methods and procedure for guinea pig carcass evaluation, jointing and tissue separation

The South American guinea pig rodent has become a livestock animal acceptable for human consumption in different parts of the world. Its white meat has a great potential as a new protein source, and its social and economic importance for different human populations is considered key for development. Scarce data are found in the literature when the statistical livestock information is checked, and few researches have been done about morphological characteristics of guinea pigs carcasses. These works do not follow the same procedures, using different criteria, overall the jointing, making it difficult to compare different studies. The aim of the present study is to suggest a practical and normalized method to analyse the guinea pig carcass characteristics allowing their evaluation. It describes the main traits to be considered from the birth of the animal to the carcass analysis. This work concerns: (1) growth, feeding, pre-slaughter and slaughter processing, (2) method for the definition, hanging and presentation of the carcass, (3) carcass morphological characteristics, (4) jointing procedure based on four anatomically defined regions, (5) methods for evaluating meat pH and colour and (6) method for tissue separation. This proposal could be useful to compare data of these animals under different conditions.

Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Antifungal Agents, Probiotics or Toxin Binder to Aflatoxin-contaminated Diets on the Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Growing Pigs

In order to assess the effects of dietary supplementation of antifungal agent, probiotics or toxin binder to aflatoxin contaminated diets on performance, carcass characteristics and blood metabolites of growing pigs, 240 growing pigs (Landrace×Yorkshire×Duroc; BW 53.97±0.35 kg) were randomly allotted to five treatments on the basis of BW (4 pens per treatment with 12 pigs in each pen). The dietary treatments included negative control (NC; basal diet), positive control (PC; diets containing 20 μg/kg aflatoxin), and PC diet supplemented with either 0.10% sodium propionate (antifungal agent; T1), 0.30% Bacillus subtilis (T2) or 0.1% zeolite (toxin binder; T3). The diets were fed in a meal form for two phases (phase I; 0–4 wk and phase II; 5–9 wk). Results indicated that the growing pigs fed NC and T3 diet had greater (P<0.05) final BW and overall ADG (0–9 wk) than pigs fed PC and T1 diets. Final BW and overall ADG of pigs fed T2 diets remained comparable (P>0.05) with pigs fed PC, T1 and T3 diets. Dietary treatments had no effects (P>0.05) on ADFI, gain: feed ratio, apparent total-tract digestibility of DM, GE and CP of pigs. Also, there were no effects (P>0.05) of dietary treatments on carcass characteristics of pigs except for weight of liver, which was lower (P<0.05) in pigs fed NC diet than other treatments. During phase II, pigs fed NC and T3 diets had lesser (P<0.05) WBC count than that of pigs fed PC, T1 and T2 diets. Blood glucose level of pig fed NC and T3 diets were lower (P<0.05) than pigs fed PC, T1 and T2 diets. Dietary treatments had no effects (P>0.05) on blood cortisol level. These results indicated that dietary inclusion of 1.0% zeolite (a toxin binder) had potential to improve performance of growing pigs fed 20 μg/kg aflatoxin contaminated diets.

The combination of arginine and leucine supplementation of reduced crude protein diets for boars increases eating quality of pork1

Fifty-four entire male pigs (Duroc × Pietrain × Large White × Landrace) from a commercial crossbred operation were used to investigate the effect of dietary Arg supplementation, protein reduction (PR), and Leu supplementation on performance, carcass traits, and meat quality. Pigs weighing 58.9 ± 1.6 kg BW were randomly assigned to 1 of 6 treatments (n = 9). The 6 dietary treatments were normal CP diet (16% CP, NPD), reduced CP diet (13% CP, RPD), reduced CP diet with Leu addition to 2.0% (RPDL), normal CP diet supplemented with 1% Arg (16% CP, Arg-NPD), reduced CP diet supplemented with 1% Arg (13% CP, Arg-RPD), and reduced CP diet with Leu addition to 2.0% and supplemented with 1% Arg (13% CP, Arg-RPDL). Pigs were slaughtered at 91.7 ± 1.6 kg BW. Dietary Arg supplementation had no effect on intramuscular fat (IMF) content but produced meat off-flavor and increased meat tenderness and overall acceptability. The PR increased (P < 0.001) IMF content (45% to 48%) but negatively affected the growth performance of pigs. In addition, PR increased (P < 0.05) back fat thickness and decreased loin weight. Leucine addition did not affect IMF content, back fat thickness, or loin weight. There was an increase of juiciness with PR and Leu addition, which accompanied the increase of IMF content with the low-CP diet. The PR increased meat deposition of 18:1c9, SFA, MUFA, and PUFA, which were not correlated with any pork sensory trait. The main combined effect of Arg was an increased tenderness and overall acceptability of pork. In conclusion, it was confirmed that dietary CP reduction enhances pork eating quality but negatively affects growth performance and carcass characteristics of pigs.

Association of FABP3 Genotypes and Carcass Characteristics in Pigs

This study was conducted to analyze the genotypes and genes of FABP3 (Fatty-acid Binding Protein 3) in pigs using MSPI restriction enzyme and electrophoresis. Analysis of data collected from a total of 210 crossbred pigs (LYD or YLD) in Chungcheongnam-do, Korea, revealed the following. The AA genotypes of FABP3 were detected in the 750 bp and 100 bp bands, while the Aa heterotype appeared in the 850, 750 and 100 bp bands and the aa recessive homotype was detected in a single band of 850 bp. The genotype frequency of AA, Aa and aa was 46.67%, 51.43% and 1.90%, respectively. The genetic equilibrium of this population showed a significant difference (p<0.001) based on a <TEX>${\chi}^2$</TEX>-test. The carcass weight, backfat thickness, marbling score, pH, drip loss, cooking loss, and meat color based on the CIE <TEX>$L^*$</TEX>, and <TEX>$b^*$</TEX> values according to genotypes of FABP3 did not differ significantly (p>0.05); however, the CIE <TEX>$a^*$</TEX> values did (p<0.05).

Carcass characteristics and qualitative attributes of pork from immunocastrated animals.

An investigation was carried out to assess the carcass characteristics and meat quality aspects of immunocastrated male pigs of medium genetic potential for lean meat deposition in carcass (53 to 55%). When the crossbred Large White x Landrace pigs (n = 45) were 70 days old, they were distributed in a totally randomized design in three treatments (castrated males, females and immunocastrated males) with three replicates of five animals. The pigs were slaughtered when they were 140 days old. Carcass temperature and pH were recorded twice, at 45 min and 24 h after slaughter. The carcasses were evaluated for hot and cold carcass yield, commercial cuts yield, length and depth, back fat thickness, loin eye area and lean meat percentage. The Longissimus dorsi muscle was extracted for analysis of color (L*, a*, b*), exudate loss, cooking loss and centesimal and sensorial analysis of the meat. There were no significant differences for the evaluated parameters between castrated males, immunocastrated males and females, except for backfat thickness between the 7th and 8th thoracic vertebra and the point P2 (lower for immunocastrated males) and carcass temperature at 45 min post slaughter (higher in immunocastrated males), however, this did not interfer with the rate of pH decrease post mortem and the meat quality. The results from this research did not indicate a benefit of immunocastration on carcass characteristics of pigs of medium genetic potential for lean meat deposition in carcass, when compared to surgical castration.

Productive Response of Duroc x Large White and Commercial Hybrid x Large White Crosses Fed High and Low Protein Diets

Thirty five Duroc x Large White (DUxLW) and 43 Commercial Hybrid x Large White (CHxLW) were fed two diets differing for the content of crude protein (CP), with the aim to evaluate the effects of these diets on growth, carcass and thigh traits. Pigs were allotted to two groups and fed high protein (HP) and low protein (LP) diet. Within each dietary group, 3 diets were formulated, for the initial phase of growth (from 79 to 112 days, 17.3% and 15.4% CP as fed basis for the HP and LP diet, respectively), for the intermediated phase of growth (from 113 to 196 days, 15.1% and 13.7% CP as fed basis for the HP and LP diet, respectively) and for the finishing period (from 197 to 272 days, 13.4% and 11.4% CP as fed basis for the HP and LP diet, respectively). HP diets were supplemented with Lysine, LP were supplemented also with Methionine and Threonine. Pigs were slaughtered at nine months of age. Body weight (BW), average daily gain, total feed intake and feed conversion ratio were not affected by diet. Carcass weight, thigh weight, backfat and lean thickness and lean percentage (Fat-O-Meater, FOM) were not affected by dietary treatments, whilst backfat thickness and FOM were significantly higher (P<0.01) in DUxLW and CHxLW pigs genotype respectively. A reduction of about 15% (12% to 17%) of the dietary CP recommended by nutritional requirements does not affect the main productive performances and carcass characteristics of pigs slaughtered at around 160 kg of BW.

Performance of growing pigs fed diets based on by-products of maize and wheat processing

Forty-eight crossbred Landrace × Large white pigs with an average body weight of 8.5 ± 0.4 kg and aged 2 months were used to evaluate performance and carcass characteristics of pigs fed two diets in which bran from maize or wheat was used as the energy source. A third diet based on whole maize grain was used as a control. Animals in groups of four, balanced for litter, sex and weight were allotted to dietary treatments in a completely randomised design with four replications. Data were collected on feed intake and weight gain for a period of 4 months. A digestibility trial was carried at the end of the feeding trial using two male pigs per treatment while six pigs per treatment were randomly selected for slaughter to determine carcass characteristics. Daily gain averaged 0.23, 0.31 and 0.13 kg/day, for pigs fed maize bran, wheat bran and whole maize diets, respectively. Average feed intake and final body weight were significantly (P < 0.05) affected by diets. Digestibility of dry matter, crude fibre and calcium were higher (P < 0.05) for pigs fed maize bran while crude protein digestibility was highest (P < 0.05) for the pigs fed wheat bran. There were significant differences (P < 0.05) between the diets in carcass yield, ham, head, trotters and heart weights and also for rib weight, rib eye muscle and other tissues. This study indicates that comparable performance of growing pigs fed cereal bran and full-grain diets are real.

Meta-analysis of the relationship between ractopamine and dietary lysine levels on carcass characteristics in pigs

A meta-analysis was carried out to evaluate the relationship between ractopamine and dietary lysine levels on carcass characteristics in pigs. The database was composed by 29 articles published in international journals from 1990 to 2007, totalizing 155 treatments and 3786 pigs. Average inclusion of ractopamine was 15.3 ppm (ranging from 0 to 30 ppm) and daily average intake of ractopamine was 24.9 mg. Ractopamine addition increased (P < 0.05) hot carcass weight in 4%, loin area in 12% and lean meat content in 4%. Pigs supplemented with ractopamine presented decrease (P < 0.05) of 8% in backfat thickness at the tenth rib, 3% in backfat thickness at the last rib and 5% in mean backfat thickness. Each increase in 1 mg of ractopamine intake represented a reduction of 0.3 mm in tenth-rib (Y = 29.61–0.308 RAC + 0.025 RAC 2, R 2 = 0.81, RAC: ractopamine intake expressed in mg) and 0.5 mm at last-rib backfat thickness (Y = 30.52 + 0.519 RAC–0.0054 RAC 2, R 2 = 0.94). The use of ractopamine affected (P > 0.05) neither carcass length and dressing, nor meat marbling and color. Loin area was positively correlated (r = 0.27, P < 0.05) and mean backfat thickness was negatively correlated (r = − 0.27, P < 0.05) to dietary lysine concentration. Pigs supplemented with ractopamine whose daily intake of lysine per unit of metabolic weight was more than 195 mg presented (P < 0.05) loin area 4% higher and backfat thickness 10% lower than other animals. Supplemented pigs that received diets with lysine content superior to their calculated amino acid requirement presented weight gain 14% higher, lean meat content 17% higher, leaf fat 34% lower and loin area 6% higher when compared to other supplemented animals. Ractopamine increases lean meat content and reduces backfat thickness in carcass, however, the interaction between additive and nutritional components must be considered in diet formulation.

A meta-analysis of the effects of dietary betaine supplementation on finishing performance and carcass characteristics of pigs

Inconsistent results of the effects of dietary betaine supplementation on important economic carcass characteristics of finishing pigs have been reported. This has motivated a quantitative meta-analysis that accounted for variability among experiments. Through an extensive literature search data have been identified to evaluate the effects of dietary betaine supplementation on average daily feed intake (ADFI; 11 experiments, 18 comparisons), average daily gain (ADG; 13 experiments, 21 comparisons), backfat thickness (BFT; 10 experiments, 13 comparisons), dressing proportion (DP; 7 experiments, 10 comparisons), feed conversion ratio (FCR; 12 experiments, 18 comparisons), longissimus dorsi muscle area (LMA; 9 experiments, 13 comparisons), proportion carcass lean (PCL; 7 experiments, 10 comparisons) and tenth rib fat thickness (TRFT; 7 experiments, 10 comparisons). Statistical analyses included: (1) fixed and random effects models to calculate summary statistics for standardised effect sizes (Hedges's g) of the difference between control and betaine-fed pigs; (2) meta-regression to evaluate the sources of heterogeneity of responses; (3) the assessment of possible publication bias. Dietary betaine supplementation had no influence (P>0.05) on ADG. However, feed per unit of weight gain significantly decreased (mean effect size of −0.361) in betaine-fed pigs. Whereas dressing proportion was increased (mean effect size of 0.358; P<0.05) by betaine supplementation, BFT was decreased with a mean effect size of −0.286. The occurrence (P<0.10) of heterogeneity showed that the effects of betaine varied from experiment to experiment for ADFI, PCL, LMA and TRFT. With ADG and TRFT some of this variability could be explained by a negative relationship (P<0.10) between effect size and level of betaine supplementation. Existing tests could not detect evidence of any possible publication bias. This study presented conclusive results that betaine supplementation of diets for finishing pigs decreased carcass characteristics typically used as indicators of carcass fatness.

Comparison of varying doses and durations of ractopamine hydrochloride on late-finishing pig carcass characteristics and meat quality

The objective was to investigate the effect of various doses and durations of ractopamine hydrochloride (RAC) on pig HCW, cutting yields, and meat quality. Late-finishing pigs (approximately 93 kg) were allotted to 12 treatments 35 d before slaughter. Treatments consisted of negative control (NEG; 13.1% CP, 0.64 TID Lys), positive control (POS; 17.8% CP, 0.94 TID Lys), and 2 RAC doses (5 and 7.4 mg/kg) with 5 different feeding durations for each dose (7, 14, 21, 28, or 35 d). Pigs on ractopamine-duration diets were fed NEG until incorporation of RAC, and then the diet was switched to POS to comply with label requirements. A subset of 240 pigs was utilized to determine the effects of RAC on carcass cutting yields. This subset was selected by taking the 5 pigs closest to the average pen weight from 4 complete replicates. Differences in response to RAC between 5 and 7.4 mg/kg were not significant. Therefore, RAC dosages were pooled, resulting in an average dose of 6.2 mg/kg, which was then compared with NEG and POS diets. Ractopamine increased (P < 0.05) HCW by 2.5 and 2.3 kg compared with the NEG and POS diets, respectively. Hot carcass weight also increased linearly (P=0.003) as RAC duration increased. Indicators of carcass leanness increased with RAC compared with NEG. Estimated carcass lean percentage increased (P=0.010) 1 percentage unit from 54.79 to 55.79%, carcass cut yield increased (P<0.001) 1.23 percentage units from 50.61 to 51.84%, and (P=0.006) boneless lean cut yield increased 1.27 percentage units from 36.71 to 37.98%. Ractopamine decreased (P=0.002) subjective marbling scores 0.49 units from the NEG value of 3.0, but RAC did not differ (P=0.203) from POS. Subjective color values and shear force aging curves for RAC were not significantly different from NEG or POS. Overall, RAC had greater responses in carcass weight and cut yield than NEG, and had minimal effects on meat quality.

Epistatic analysis of carcass characteristics in pigs reveals genomic interactions between quantitative trait loci attributable to additive and dominance genetic effects1

The present study focused on the identification of epistatic QTL pairs for body composition traits (carcass cut, lean tissue, and fat tissue weights) measured at slaughter weight (140 kg of BW) in a 3-generation full-sib population developed by crossing Pietrain sires with a crossbred dam line. Depending on the trait, phenotypic observations were available for 306 to 315 F(2) animals. For the QTL analysis, 386 animals were genotyped for 88 molecular markers covering chromosomes SSC1, SSC2, SSC4, SSC6, SSC7, SSC8, SSC9, SSC10, SSC13, and SSC14. In total, 23 significant epistatic QTL pairs were identified, with the additive x additive genetic interaction being the most prevalent. Epistatic QTL were identified across all chromosomes except for SSC13, and epistatic QTL pairs accounted for between 5.8 and 10.2% of the phenotypic variance. Seven epistatic QTL pairs were between QTL that resided on the same chromosome, and 16 were between QTL that resided on different chromosomes. Sus scrofa chromosome 1, SSC2, SSC4, SSC6, SSC8, and SSC9 harbored the greatest number of epistatic QTL. The epistatic QTL pair with the greatest effect was for the entire loin weight between 2 locations on SSC7, explaining 10.2% of the phenotypic variance. Epistatic associations were identified between regions of the genome that contain the IGF-2 or melanocortin-4 receptor genes, with QTL residing in other genomic locations. Quantitative trait loci in the region of the melanocortin-4 receptor gene and on SSC7 showed significant positive dominance effects for entire belly weight, which were offset by negative dominance x dominance interactions between these QTL. In contrast, the QTL in the region of the IGF-2 gene showed significant negative dominance effects for entire ham weight, which were largely overcompensated for by positive additive x dominance genetic effects with a QTL on SSC9. The study shows that epistasis is of great importance for the genomic regulation of body composition in pigs and contributes substantially to the variation in complex traits.

Ractopamina em dietas para suínos machos imunocastrados, castrados e fêmeas

O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar o desempenho e as características quantitativas de carcaça de suínos machos castrados, mantidos em ambiente de conforto térmico e alimentados com dietas contendo diferentes níveis de ractopamina. Foram utilizados 48 animais, com peso médio inicial de 67,0±2,7kg, distribuídos em delineamento de blocos ao acaso composto por quatro níveis de ractopamina (0, 5, 10 e 20ppm) e seis repetições, com dois animais cada. O período experimental teve duração de 28 dias. A temperatura do ar obtida foi de 20,9±2,9°C, a umidade relativa foi de 86,7±7,3%, e o Índice de Temperatura de Globo e Umidade foi de 69,6±4,0. O peso final dos animais e o consumo de ração não foram influenciados (P>0,05) pelos tratamentos. Os níveis de ractopamina influenciaram (P<0,05) o ganho de peso diário e a conversão alimentar dos suínos. Observou-se redução linear (P<0,05) da espessura de toucinho e aumento da profundidade de músculo e da porcentagem de carne magra na carcaça de acordo com o aumento dos níveis de ractopamina na dieta. O peso e o rendimento de carcaça quente e a área de olho de lombo não foram influenciados (P>0,05) pelos tratamentos. Concluiu-se que o nível ótimo de inclusão de ractopamina na dieta de suínos machos castrados e mantidos em ambiente termoneutro é de 20ppm.

Effects of dietary astaxanthin, ractopamine HCl, and gender on the growth, carcass, and pork quality characteristics of finishing pigs (2010)

A total of 144 finishing pigs (initially 226 lb) were used to evaluate the effects of various levels and sources of added dietary astaxanthin (AX: 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 ppm), as well as ractopamine HCl (Paylean), on growth, carcass, and pork quality characteristics of barrows and gilts. Pigs were blocked by gender and weight and randomly allotted to 1 of 9 dietary treatments fed for approximately 26 d pre-harvest. Dietary treatments consisted of a corn-soybean meal-based control, the control with 5, 7.5, or 10 ppm AX from Phaffia rhodozyma yeast, the control with 5 ppm synthetic AX, and the control with 9 g/ton Paylean and 0, 2.5, 5, and 7.5 ppm AX from Phaffia rhodozyma yeast. There were 2 pigs per pen and 8 pens per treatment (4 pens per treatment x gender combination). Overall, barrows had greater (P < 0.01) ADG and ADFI than gilts, while ADG and final BW increased (P < 0.01) and F/G improved for pigs fed Paylean. For carcass characteristics, barrows had greater (P < 0.01) backfat depth and less (P < 0.01) longissimus muscle area and fat-free lean than gilts. Pigs fed Paylean had greater (P < 0.01) HCW, yield, and longissimus muscle area than those that received non-Paylean treatments. Growth performance and carcass characteristics of pigs fed AX were not different than control pigs. Although there were no differences in the initial subjective color scores, the discoloration scores of longissimus chops increased (linear, P < 0.01) daily during 7 d of retail display, and were greater (P < 0.01) for barrow chops on d 7 compared to gilt chops (gender x day interaction, P < 0.01). Also, the overall average discoloration scores and change in d 0 to 3 objective total color were lower (P < 0.01) for gilts and pigs fed Paylean, although the difference between gilts and barrows was smaller when they were fed Paylean (gender x treatment interaction, P < 0.01). Modest differences in measures of pork color during retail display were associated with added dietary AX, but these did not result in an increase in color shelf-life or reduction in the objective measure of total color change. Collectively, these observations indicated a greater (P < 0.01) color shelf-life for chops from gilts and pigs fed Paylean.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 18, 2010

Effect of Fermentable Liquid Diets Based on Wet Brewers Grains on performance of Growing Pigs

Aguilera-Soto, J.I., Ramirez, R.G., Arechiga, C.F., Gutierrez-Bañuelos, H, Mendez-Llorente, F., Lopez-Carlos, M.A., Piña-Flores, J.A., Rodriguez-Frausto, H. and Rodriguez-Tenorio, D. 2009. Effect of fermentable liquid diets based on wet brewers grains on performance and carcass characteristics by growing pigs. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 36: 271–274. To evaluate growth and carcass characteristics of pigs fed graded levels of fermentable liquid diets (FLD) based on wet brewers grains (WBG), 32 Landrace × York male pigs (32±4 d; 9.7±1.2 kg) were allotted to one of the four treatment diets containing 0, 15, 30 and 45% WBG (dry matter basis). Animals were weighed every 20 d and dry matter intake (DMI) by pen was recorded daily. At 95 kg pigs were slaughtered and carcass characteristics were measured. Average daily gain of pigs was significantly different among treatments being higher for 0% WBG (660 g day−1) followed by 15% (553), 30% (537) and 45% (507), similar trend was observed for DMI (1895 g day−1, 1881, 1823 and 1771, respectively). Moreover, carcass dressing was significantly different among treatments (71.5%, 70.1, 68.9 and 67.8, respectively). Even though, growth performance was negatively affected by FLD, feeding costs were reduced even when the fattening period was longer. It is suggested that animals may be fed on 30% WBG diets in post-weaning periods and 30 or 45% during growing and finishing periods.

Influence of feeding regime, sex and fasting time prior to slaughter on growth rate, carcass characteristics, ultimate pH and skin damage of pigs

Effects of feeding regime and sex on growth performance and carcass characteristics of pigs and of various fasting times and lairage times prior to slaughter on ultimate pH (pHu) of the neck and loin muscle, degree of gut fill and skin damage were investigated. Two hundred and seventy pigs were used involving two sexes (gilts and castrates), two feeding regimes (restricted and ad libitum) and four fasting treatments. The castrates grew faster and produced fatter carcasses than gilts, while restricted feeding tended to improve feed efficiency and led to leaner carcasses compared to ad libitum feeding. Prolonged pre-slaughter fasting period and lairage time led to reduction of the weight of the gastrointestinal tract and higher extent of fighting and skin damage. pHu in the neck muscle was indicative for the extent of fighting and skin damages, and might be a parameter for selecting raw material for dry-cured hams.

Influência do número de animais e tipo de comedouro na unidade experimental sobre as exigências nutricionais e composição de carcaça de suínos em terminação

Objetivou-se avaliar os efeitos do número de animais por unidade experimental e do tipo de comedouro sobre as exigências nutricionais e as características de carcaça de suínos dos 60 aos 95 kg. Utilizaram-se 704 suínos, machos castrados, com 59,84 ± 1,67 kg de peso corporal, distribuídos em delineamento experimental em esquema de parcelas subdivididas, com diferentes números de animais por unidade experimental nas parcelas e, nas subparcelas, um esquema fatorial 2 × 4, com dois tipos de comedouro e quatro níveis de lisina digestível na ração (0,75; 0,85; 0,95% e 1,05%), em delineamento de blocos ao acaso com quatro repetições. Não ocorreu interação significativa entre níveis de lisina, tipo de comedouro e número de animais na unidade experimental para os consumos de ração e de lisina, o ganho de peso e a conversão alimentar. O ganho de peso e o consumo de lisina aumentaram de forma linear com o aumento dos níveis de lisina digestível. A conversão alimentar melhorou de forma linear, contudo o modelo "Linear Response Plateau" foi o que melhor se ajustou aos dados, estimando em 0,96% o nível de lisina digestível, correspondente a um consumo diário de 26,1 g, a partir do qual ocorreu "plateau". O uso de dois animais por unidade experimental proporcionou melhores resultados de ganho de peso e conversão alimentar. Houve interação tipo de comedouro × número de animais na unidade experimental, de modo que o rendimento de carcaça e a quantidade de carne magra reduziram com o uso dos comedouros conjugados com bebedouros nas unidades experimentais com dois animais, mas não variaram com o tipo de comedouro nas unidades experimentais com 20 animais. Suínos dos 60 aos 95 kg exigem, respectivamente, 1,05 e 0,96% de lisina digestível para melhores resultados de ganho de peso e conversão alimentar, independentemente do tipo de comedouro e do número de animais na unidade experimental. Nas unidades experimentais com dois suínos, ocorrem diferenças no desempenho, com maior ganho de peso e melhor conversão alimentar, mas nenhuma alteração significativa nos consumos de ração e de lisina.

Effects of dietary astaxanthin on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs (2009)

A total of 48 barrows (initially 215 lb) were used to evaluate the effects of increasing dietary astaxanthin (0, 5, 10, and 20 ppm) on late-finishing pig performance and carcass characteristics. Pigs were blocked by weight and randomly allotted to 1 of 4 dietary treatments in a 26-d experiment. Pigs were fed simple corn-soybean meal-based diets. Treatments consisted of a control diet and the control diet with 5, 10, or 20 ppm added astaxanthin. For overall growth performance (d 0 to 26), ADG and F/G of pigs fed astaxanthin was not different from that of the control pigs. However, ADFI tended (linear; P < 0.10) to decrease with increasing astaxanthin. For the comparison of carcass characteristics, pigs fed increasing astaxanthin had decreased average (P < 0.03) and 10th rib (P < 0.06) backfat depth compared with control pigs. Pigs fed 5 or 10 ppm astaxanthin tended to have the lowest (quadratic; P < 0.10) 10th rib fat depth. Pigs fed increasing astaxanthin tended to have increased (quadratic; P < 0.10) standardized fat-free lean and percentage of fat-free lean, and pigs fed 5 or 10 ppm were the leanest. The loin muscle of pigs fed astaxanthin tended to have lower L* and b* (P < 0.06 and P < 0.08, respectively), indicating a darker color. The improved carcass characteristics of pigs fed astaxanthin resulted in a numeric increase in the net profit per pig for those fed 5 and 10 ppm astaxanthin. In conclusion, growth performance of pigs fed 5, 10, or 20 ppm astaxanthin was not different from that of pigs fed the control diet. However, the improved carcass characteristics could be economically beneficial to pork producers. Additionally, the improvements observed in loin color could result in improved consumer acceptance of fresh pork. These results warrant further research.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 19, 2009

Effect of group size-floor space allowance and floor type on growth performance and carcass characteristics of heavy pigs

Objective: To evaluate the effects of group size-space allowance and floor type on growth performance and carcass characteristics in pigs slaughtered at 160 kg live weight (LW). Materials and methods: (Landrace × Large White) × Duroc pigs (N = 216), averaging 89.8 ± 0.4 kg LW at approximately 6 months of age, were evenly distributed among 18 pens (six pens per room, equal numbers of barrows and gilts per pen). Nine pens provided a low space allowance (LSA; k = 0.033; 1.0 m2 per animal; 126 pigs), and nine pens provided a high space allowance (HSA; k = 0.047; 1.4 m2 per animal; 90 pigs). After 90 days, six pigs per pen were slaughtered (total 108 pigs; 156 ± 1.4 kg LW). The proportion of floor contaminated with manure, urine, or both, and environmental parameters, were recorded during the observation period. Results: Pigs on all floor types tended to gain more weight with HSA than with LSA (P = .08) days 46 to 90. Average daily gain (ADG) and final LW were higher for barrows than gilts (P &lt; .05). Feed conversion ratio tended to be lower (P &lt; .10) for HSA than LSA animals. Backfat thickness was higher for HSA and rooms with totally slatted floors. Contaminated floor area was smaller with totally slatted floors. Implications: Increasing space allowance from k = 0.033 to k = 0.047 is associated with better ADG at LW &gt; 120 kg, suggesting that this change might be of benefit to the heavy-pig industry.