Influence of dietary vitamin E supplementation on antioxidative status in muscle and meat quality of pigs

The effect of feeding a high level of vitamin E on the antioxidative status of longissimus dorsi muscle and meat quality of pigs was investigated, Tre atments consisted of supplementation of vitamin E (200 mg/kg diet) for the last 60 days to finishing pigs before slaughtering. Longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle was examined after 2 and 5 days of storage for colour (reflectance), drip loss and shear force. alpha -Tocopherol level, total protein, intramu scular fat and pH (45 min post mortem) were also determined. Lipid peroxida tion (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances - TBARS - measured as malondi aldehyde equivalents) in 5 and 6 days after thawing of muscle samples and r ate of oxidation by stimulation with Fe2+/ascorbate were estimated in LD sa mples. alpha -Tocopherol level was higher (P < 0.05) in LD from pigs treate d with higher vitamin E than in controls (1.71 vs. 2.73 mg/kg). There were observed tendencies to lower drip losses and higher shear force in LD pigs supplemented with vitamin E. Inhibition of TBARS during storage (frozen and thawed) and rate of oxidation were positively influenced by vitamin supple mentation. We concluded that dietary vitamin E supplementation (200 mg/kg d iet) to pigs during the last 60 days of finishing increases the <alpha>-toc opherol concentration of tissue, reduces lipid peroxidation and improves th e antioxidative status of muscle tissue.