Meat quality of swine supplemented with ractopamine under commercial conditions in Brazil

Author(s)

Athayde, N. B. ^[1] ; Dalla Costa, O. A. ^[2] ; Roca, R. O. ^[3] ; Guidoni, A. L. ^[4] ; Ludtke, C. B. ^[5] ; Lima, G. J. M. M. ^[2]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Paulista, UNESP, Fac Med Vet & Zootecnia, Dept Anim Prod, Botucatu, SP - Brazil

^[2] Embrapa Suinos & Aves, BR-153 Concordia, SC - Brazil

^[3] Univ Estadual Paulista, UNESP, Fac Ciencias Agron, Dept Gestao & Tecnol Agroind, Botucatu, SP - Brazil

^[4] Embrapa Clima Temperado, Pelotas, RS - Brazil

^[5] WSPA, World Soc Protect Anim, Copacabana, RJ - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE; v. 90, n. 12, p. 4604-4610, DEC 2012.
• Web of Science Citations: 12

Abstract

Commercial crossbred barrows and gilts (n = 340) were used to study the effects of different dietary inclusions of ractopamine hydrochloride (RAC) on quality of LM and semimembranosus muscle (SM). Pigs were blocked by BW (107.3 +/- 0.76 kg) and allotted to gender-specific pens (10 to 12 pigs/pen), and within blocks, pens of barrows or gilts (10 pens/treatment) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 dietary RAC inclusions (0, 5, or 10 mg/kg) fed during the last 28 d before slaughter. Initial (45-min) and ultimate (24-h) pH and temperature were measured in LM and SM. Visual and instrumental {[}lightness (L{*}), redness (a{*}), and yellowness (b{*}) values] color as well as drip loss percentages were measured in both muscles after the 24-h chilling period at 1 to 4 degrees C. The LM was also evaluated for marbling, and samples of the LM were used to measure intramuscular fat (IMF) content, cooking losses, and Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF). Pork quality characteristics of the LM (P >= 0.227) and SM (P >= 0.082) did not differ between barrows and gilts. Furthermore, neither pH nor temperature of the LM (P >= 0.164) or SM (P >= 0.284) was affected by feeding pigs RAC. The LM from pigs fed 10 mg/kg of RAC received lesser (P = 0.032) subjective color scores than LM from pigs fed 0 and 5 mg/kg of RAC, and LM from pigs fed 10 mg/kg of RAC was less (P = 0.037) red than LM from pigs fed 0 mg/kg of RAC. In addition, SM from pigs fed 10 mg/kg of RAC had lesser (P <= 0.015) a{*} and b{*} values than pork from control-fed pigs; however, L{*} values for LM and SM were not (P >= 0.081) affected by dietary RAC. Drip loss percentages of the LM were similar (P = 0.815) among RAC treatments, but the SM from RAC-fed pigs had smaller (P = 0.020) drip loss percentages than SM from pigs fed 0 mg/kg of RAC. Marbling scores and IMF content of the LM did not (P >= 0.133) differ among RAC treatments; however, WBSF values were greater (P = 0.005) for LM chops from pigs fed 10 mg/kg than chops from pigs fed 0 and 5 mg/kg of RAC. Even though feeding barrows and gilts 10 mg/kg of dietary RAC reduced (P = 0.050) cooking losses of LM chops compared with feeding 5 mg/kg of RAC, including 10 mg/kg of RAC in the diet of finishing pigs reduced pork tenderness. Therefore, results from this study support the recommendation that including 5 mg/kg of RAC in finishing diets should improve live pig performance without detrimental effects on fresh pork quality and cooked pork palatability. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 09/09139-6 - Susceptibility to stress and pork meat quality supplemented with different levels of ractopamine
• Grantee: Roberto de Oliveira Roça
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 08/01765-2 - Susceptibility to stress and pork meat quality supplemented with different levels of Ractopamine
• Grantee: Natália Bortoleto Athayde
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master