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Animal feed is a determining factor in meat quality, so variations in the diet can lead to changes in the final product. Moreover, dietary lipid supplementation can reduce lipogenesis and increase intramuscular fat content of pork simultaneously, while vitamin E supplementation can increase the oxidative stability of pork. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the effect of dietary lipid (0 or 1% flaxseed oil + 1, 3, or 5% poultry fat for the diets supplemented with lipids) and vitamin E (11 or 220 IU vitamin E/kg) supplementation in a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments on the physical and organoleptic characteristics and fatty acid (FA) profile of pork, and the expression of genes associated with lipid metabolism. For that purpose, a total of 98 Yorkshire pigs (54.3 ± 3.4 kg BW) were used. Forty-eight pens containing 2 gilts or 2 castrated males were randomly assigned to 8 treatments with 3 gilt pens and 3 castrated male pens per treatment. Pigs were slaughtered when they reached approximately 110 kg. Muscle and adipose tissue samples at the last rib were collected to determine the expression of genes associated with lipid metabolism. Loin muscle samples were collected for the determination of the physical and organoleptic characteristics and FA profile of pork.
As a result, the percentage of the saturated FA and monounsaturated FA decreased linearly, while the percentage of ω-6 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA), total PUFA, and C18:2ω6c increased linearly as dietary lipids increased. Supplementation with 1% flaxseed oil + 1 to 5% poultry fat increased omega-3 fatty acid content and reduced the ω−6 to ω−3 fatty acid ratio in pork. Supplementation with 220 IU vitamin E/kg increased serum α-tocopherol, but it did not change thiobarbituric acid reactive substance content of the loin muscle. Similarly, no major differences were observed on the organoleptic characteristics of pork or the expression of genes associated with lipid metabolism.
In conclusion, feeding flaxseed oil and poultry fat to finisher pigs was effective in improving the nutritional value of pork as indicated by ω-6 to ω-3 fatty acid ratio without negatively affecting organoleptic characteristics or oxidative stability of pork.
Huang C, Chiba LI, Magee WE, Wang Y, Rodning SP, Bratcher CL, Bergen WG, Spangler, EA. Effect of flaxseed oil, poultry fat, and vitamin E supplementation on physical and organoleptic characteristics and fatty acid profile of pork, and expression of genes associated with lipid metabolism. Livestock Science. 2020; 231(103849). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2019.103849