Effects of dietary fats on meat quality and sensory characteristics of heavy pig loins

This study examined the influence of dietary fat supplementation to heavy p igs on the meat quality and sensory characteristics of loins. The animals w ere fed diets containing tallow (TA), corn oil (CO) or rapeseed oil (RO) fr om 25 kg up to 160 kg live weight (LW). The fats were added at 3% as fed fr om 25 to 110 kg LW, and at 2.5% from 110 kg LW to slaughtering. Diets were fed at 9% BW0.75. We found no differences between dietary treatments for lo in weight, pH. or color of longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle at 45 min and 2 4 h after slaughtering. No significant differences in moisture, total prote in or total lipid content of LL muscle were found. The linolenic acid conte nt of the total lipid of LL muscle was higher in pigs fed RO than those fed TA and CO. The oxidative stability of LL, as determined by induced TBARS, was lower in pigs fed CO - after 60 min of forced oxidation - and in animal s fed CO and RO after 300 min, compared to those fed TA. No significant dif ferences in the sensory characteristics of loin were discerned by a panel o f trained tasters. These results indicate that long-term nutrition with add ed fat at the levels we used has little or no effect on the meat quality or sensory characteristics of heavy pig loin. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.