J. Wiseman et al., Influence of type and dietary rate of inclusion of non-starch polysaccharides on skatole content and meat quality of finishing pigs, ANIM SCI, 69, 1999, pp. 123-133
The effect of feeding different sources of dietary fibre at varying rates o
f inclusion on the concentrations of skatole and indole in the backfat of f
inishing pigs and their subsequent carcass quality was studied. Sugar-beet
pulp (SBP) and straw (S) were selected because of their assumed widely diff
ering hind-gut-fermentability characteristics. They were individually and i
n combination added to a diet at three rates of inclusion designed to provi
de concentrations of 40, 80 and 120 g non-starch polysaccharide (NSP) per k
g. The digestible energy (DE) contents varied between the three levels of i
nclusion of NSP but were formulated to a lysine: energy ratio of 0.625 g :
MJ DE with other amino acids being in the same individual proportion to lys
ine. The nine experimental diets were offered to 10 replicate (five entire
males and five females) pigs of initial live weight 55 kg. Food intakes wer
e adjusted between treatment to ensure that energy and nutrient intakes wer
e common. Animals were slaughtered on reaching 85 kg live weight. Adipose t
issue teas analysed for skatole and indole and meat quality characteristics
assessed. No significant differences in performance were detected although
carcasses from animals given sugar-beet pulp were significantly fatter The
re were significant correlations between the level of skatole in the backfa
t and the following eating quality characteristics: skatole odour intensity
of the fat, abnormal odour intensity of fat, abnormal odour intensity of l
ean and abnormal flavour intensity of lean with correlations coefficients o
f 0.656, 0.709, 0.496 and 0.523 respectively (coefficients >0.276; P < 0.05
). The range in skatole levels in the backfat were attributable substantial
ly to very high levels found in three boars. No significant correlations we
re found between indole concentrations in the backfat and eating quality ch
aracteristics. However no effects of dietary NSP type or inclusion level on
the eating quality characteristics of pig meat, with pigs given diets on t
he basis of equal energy and nutrient intakes, were detected.