DIETARY IRON IN SWINE RATIONS AFFECTS NONHEME IRON AND TBARS IN PORK SKELETAL-MUSCLES

Fifteen crossbred pigs (mean wt = 25 kg) were allocated to three group s and fed to market weight (mean wt = 103 kg) on corn-soy based diets containing either 62, 131, or 209 ppm iron. After slaughter, the longi ssimus dorsi (LD) and rectus femoris (RF) muscles were dissected, cook ed, and stored in oxygen-permeable bags for 12 days at 4 degrees C. Co oking increased thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) but di d not affect nonheme iron (NHI) or alpha-tocopherol. NHI and TBARS inc reased continuously during storage while alpha-tocopherol decreased. N HI and TBARS were higher in cooked pork from pigs fed high-iron diets. Liver iron correlated with muscle iron (p<0.05).