THE EFFECT OF DIETARY OIL CONTAINING (N-3) FATTY-ACIDS ON THE FATTY-ACID, PHYSICOCHEMICAL, AND ORGANOLEPTIC CHARACTERISTICS OF PIG MEAT ANDFAT

An investigation was made to alter the fatty acid composition of pork. and a pork product in Line with human dietary advice while not advers ely affecting factors controlling consumer acceptability. Pigs (n = 15 0) were assigned to three dietary treatments with 25 intact male-femal e pairs per treatment. Diet A (control) contained 3% of a 4:1 (wt/wt) tallow-soybean oil mixture. Diets B and C contained 2% rapeseed oil pl us 1% fish oil. Diets A, B, and C were supplemented with 100, 100, and 250 mg of all-rac-alpha-tocopheryl acetate/kg of diet, respectively. Pigs were given ad Libitum access to feed from 52 kg Live weight until 95 kg (slaughter). Sausages were prepared from the resulting cuts. Ti ssues of pigs were evaluated in terms of fat firmness, color, fatty ac id composition, and contents of alpha-tocopherol and thiobarbituric ac id-reactive substances (TBARS). Organoleptic characteristics of chops and sausages were evaluated by a trained taste panel. Pigs fed Diets B and C had improved feed conversion ratios (P < .05) and ADG compared with control pigs. The levels of n-3 (omega-3) polyunsaturates were si gnificantly increased in the tissues and sausage from pigs fed Diets B and C with associated alterations in n-6 to n-3 fatty acid ratios tha t accorded with contemporary human dietary recommendations, Levels of or-tocopherol and TEARS were significantly altered in the tissues. The re were no appreciable differences between treatments in carcass chara cteristics, including color. The overall organoleptic acceptability of chops and sausages was not different between the treatments.