0
Due to high fluctuations in the prices in raw materials, alternative ingredients have been evaluated but they must maintain optimum productive performances in animals and quality in the end product. One of these alternative ingredients is olive cake, rich in MUFA and lignin. This work studied the effect of the solid by-product from the olive oil industry (olive cake) on digestibility, growth performances, and carcass, meat and fat characteristics.
Increasing levels of olive cake (0, 50, 100 and 150 g/kg of feed) were included in the diet of a total of sixty Duroc x (Landracex Large White) gilts, with 69.5 kg of body weight and 126 days of age by replacing the same proportion of barley. The trial lasted 35 days, and animals were slaughtered with 96.7 kg of body weight.
Although feed conversion ratio (FCR) was not affected (P>0.10), the average daily feed intake (ADFI) increased (P=0.04) and the average daily gain (ADG) also tended to increase (P=0.06) both quadratically, with the olive cake level in the diet, reaching the maximum values at 100 g olive cake/kg. The daily apparent digestible energy intake also increased quadratically (P=0.04) on increasing dietary olive cake content. The apparent organic matter digestibility tended to decrease quadratically (P=0.06) and energy digestibility decreased linearly (P<0.04) as the level of dietary olive cake level increased. The experimental treatment had few effects on carcass and meat characteristics; however, the inclusion of olive cake increased quadratically (P=0.04) carcass weight and decreased linearly (P=0.02) fat depth measured at Gluteus medius muscle. The experimental treatment did not modify the total polyunsaturated fatty acids proportion of subcutaneous fat but increasing levels of olive cake promoted a linear reduction (P=0.01) of total saturated fatty acid proportion and a linear increase (P=0.02) of total monounsaturated fatty acid percentage, especially that of C18:1 (P=0.01).
In conclusion, inclusion of moderate levels of olive cake (up to 100 g/kg) in diets for finishing pigs tended to improve the daily growth and decreased the carcass fat thickness. Dietary olive cake improved fat composition by decreasing the total saturated fatty acids and increasing the total MUFA.
Joven, M., Pintos, E., Latorre, M.A., Suárez-Belloch, J., Guada, J.A. and Fondevila, M. 2014. Effect of replacing barley by increasing levels of olive cake in the diet of finishing pigs: Growth performances, digestibility, carcass, meat and fat quality. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 197, 185-193. DOI: 10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2014.08.007
