Effect of magnesium mica on performance and carcass quality of growing-finishing swine

A total of 240 crossbred pigs were used in two experiments to determine the effect of feeding magnesium mica (MM) during the growing-finishing period on animal performance and pork carcass characteristics. All pigs were block ed by weight, and treatments were assigned randomly to pens (five pigs/pen) within blocks. In each experiment, eight pens were allotted randomly to on e of three treatments: 1) a negative control corn-soybean meal starter, gro wer, and finisher diet devoid of supplemental magnesium; 2) the control, di ets supplemented with 1.25% MM; and 3) the control diets supplemented with 2.50% MM. In Exp. 1, pigs were slaughtered at the University of Arkansas Re d Meat Abattoir, whereas pigs in Exp. 2 were transported to a commercial po rk packing plant and slaughtered according to industry-accepted procedures. In both experiments, dietary supplementation of MM had no (P >.10) effect on ADG, ADFI, or gain:feed ratio at any phase during the growing-finishing period. In Exp. 1, MM supplementation had no (P >.10) effect on carcass fat ness or muscling. Moreover, Japanese color scores were not (P >.10) affecte d by feeding pigs MM; however, American color scores increased linearly (P <.01) with increasing levels of MM in the diet. Although MM supplementation did not (P >.10) affect L* and b* values for the longissimus muscle (LM), there was a linear increase (P <.05) in LM a* and chroma values associated with increased MM levels in swine diets. In Exp. 2, carcasses from pigs fed 1.25% MM had less (P <.05) fat opposite the LM at the 10th rib than untrea ted controls and pigs fed 2.50% MM and higher (P <.10) percentages of muscl e than carcasses of untreated controls. Moreover, the LM from pigs fed 1.25 % MM was less (P <.05) red and less (P <.05) yellow than the LM from pigs f ed the control or 2.50% MM-supplemented diets. Drip loss from the LM was un affected (P >.10) by inclusion of MM in the diet. Results from this study c onfirm that inclusion of MM, an inexpensive, inorganic magnesium source, in diets of growing-finishing swine has beneficial effects on pork carcass cu tability and quality with no deleterious effects on live animal performance .