Effects of dietary conjugated linoleic acid on fatty acid composition, lipid oxidation, color, and water-holding capacity of pork loin

The effects of dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on fatty acid composition, lipid oxidation, and pork quality were investigated. Pigs (n = 20) were fed a diet containing 0, 1, 2.5, or 5% CLA for 4 wk and slaughtered at 105 kg. The longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle was collected at 24 h postmortem. Pork loin chops (3 cm thick) were packaged aerobically and stored at 4 degrees C for 7 d. Samples were analyzed for ultimate pH, intramuscular fat content, fatty acid composition, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, color (L*, a*, b*), and water-holding capacity. Dietary CLA reduced the concentration of linoleic acid and increased CLA concentration in intramuscular fat of pork loin (P < 0.05). The concentration of CLA in muscle was increased with dietary CLA level and did not change during storage. Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance value of control was higher than that of the CLA-fed groups (P < 0.05). Intramuscular fat content was increased by dietary CLA, and less purge loss was observed with samples from CLA-fed pigs (P < 0.05). Dietary CLA improved the color stability of pork loin during cold storage. After 7 d, lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) of the 5% CLA-fed group were significantly lower than those of control (P < 0.05). The results indicated that the water-holding capacity of pork loin was increased with increased intramuscular fat content apparently caused by dietary CLA. Also, the data indicated that color stability of pork was improved with inhibition of lipid oxidation and changing of fatty acid composition by dietary CLA.     

Effects of supplemental fat on growth performance and quality of beef from steers fed corn finishing diets

To measure the effects of dietary fat on feedlot performance and carcass characteristics, and on beef appearance, moisture binding, shelf life, palatability, and fatty acid content, 126 crossbred beef steers (321.1 +/- 0.57 kg of BW) were allotted to a randomized complete block (3) design with a 3 x 2 + 1 factorial arrangement of dietary treatments. The main effects were level of yellow grease (0, 3, or 6%) and alfalfa hay (3.5 or 7%) in corn-based diets containing 15% potato by-product (PB). The added treatment was 6% tallow and 7% alfalfa in a barley-based diet containing 15% PB. Dry matter intake and ADG were not affected by diet; however, G:F and diet NE content increased linearly (P < 0.10) with yellow grease. Kidney, pelvic, and heart fat (2.0 to 2.3 +/- 0.07) and yield grade (2.8 to 3.1 +/- 0.09) increased linearly (P < or = 0.05) with yellow grease. Steers fed corn plus 6% yellow grease had lower (P < 0.05) beef firmness and beef texture scores but greater (P < 0.01) fat color score than those fed barley plus 6% tallow. Moisture retention of beef was not affected by dietary treatment, except purge score during retail storage, which was decreased linearly (P < 0.01) from 2.1 to 1.6 +/- 0.06 by level of yellow grease. Steaks from steers fed barley plus 6% tallow had greater (P < 0.05) shear force than those from steers fed corn plus 6% yellow grease, and beef flavor increased linearly (P < 0.05) from 6.2 to 6.7 +/- 0.11 as the level of yellow grease increased. Level of yellow grease linearly increased (P < 0.01) transvaccenic acid (TVA) by 61% and CLA content of beef by 48%. Beef from steers fed corn plus yellow grease had lower (P < 0.05) palmitoleic and oleic acids and greater (P < 0.05) linoleic, TVA, and CLA than beef from steers fed the barley-tallow diet. Feeding yellow grease increased diet energy content, which increased carcass fatness, and altered beef fatty acid content, which increased beef flavor without affecting moisture retention, shelf life, or cooking properties of the beef. Additionally, beef from steers fed corn plus 6% yellow grease was more tender and had more polyunsaturated fatty acid content and CLA than beef from steers fed barley plus 6% tallow.     

Feeding conjugated linoleic acid partially recovers carcass quality in pigs fed dried corn distillers grains with solubles

Dried corn distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) fed to swine may adversely affect carcass quality due to the high concentration of unsaturated fat. Feeding CLA enhances pork quality when unsaturated fat is contained in the diet. The effects of CLA on growth and pork quality were evaluated in pigs fed DDGS. Diets containing 0, 20, or 40% DDGS were fed to pigs beginning 30 d before slaughter. At 10 d before slaughter, one-half of each DDGS treatment group was fed 0.6% CLA or 1% choice white grease. Carcass data, liver- and backfat-samples were collected at slaughter. Longissimus muscle area, 10th-rib back-fat depth, last rib midline backfat depth, LM color, marbling, firmness and drip loss, and bacon collagen content were not altered by DDGS or CLA. Outer layer backfat iodine values were increased (P 0.05) for pigs fed DDGS. Feeding CLA decreased (P 相似文献   

Dietary conjugated linoleic acid changes belly and bacon quality from pigs fed varied lipid sources

The objective of this experiment was to determine the effects of dietary lipid source with or without the addition of CLA on bacon composition and quality. Forty-eight barrows at a beginning BW of 55 kg +/- 2.2 were fed 1 of 6 diets for 56 d. These diets consisted of: 1) normal corn (NC), 2) NC + 1.25% CLA-60 oil (NC + CLA), 3) high-oil corn (HOC), 4) HOC + 1.25% CLA-60 oil (HOC-CLA), 5) NC + choice white grease (CWG; NC + CWG), and 6) NC + CWG + 1.25% CLA-60 oil (NC + CWG + CLA). The CLA-60 contains 60% CLA isomers in the oil, and therefore, 1.25% oil was needed to achieve 0.75% CLA in the diet. Soy oil replaced CLA in control diets. Choice white grease and high-oil corn were selected as fat sources for this study because of their utility in energy density for growing-finishing pigs, especially in hot weather. Pigs were slaughtered at an average BW of 113 kg +/- 4.1, and carcasses were fabricated at 24 h postmortem. Statistical analysis was performed using the mixed model procedure of SAS, and the main effects tested were dietary lipid source, CLA, and 2-way interaction. The addition of CLA to each basal diet improved (P < 0.05) belly firmness measured either lean side down or fat side down from the belly bar firmness test [4.39 cm vs. 7.01 cm (lean down) and 5.75 cm vs. 10.54 cm (fat down)] for 0 and 0.75% dietary CLA, respectively. The compression test used on bacon slabs showed that bacon from CLA-supplemented pigs was approximately 20% firmer than that from controls. Pigs fed the HOC diets had softer bellies compared (P < 0.05) with pigs fed the NC diet as measured by the belly bar test [6.94 cm vs. 9.26 cm (fat down)], respectively. Conjugated linoleic acid did not, however, improve bacon sliceability. No differences were observed for moisture, protein, or lipid percentages between any treatments. Overall, there was a CLA effect (P < 0.04) for lipid oxidation, in which the addition of CLA decreased bacon oxidation (0.1498 CLA vs. 0.1638 no CLA). Dietary CLA increased the percentage of SFA in tissues from pigs supplemented with CLA. Dietary inclusion of CLA increased the concentration of all measured isomers of CLA in bacon. Sensory scores of bacon showed no differences for any of the sensory attributes measured between any of the treatments. Our results indicate that inclusion of dietary CLA will improve belly firmness, extend the shelf life stability of bacon, and increase the degree of fat saturation.     

Duration of feeding conjugated linoleic acid influences growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality of finishing barrows

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) was fed to growing-finishing barrows (n = 92) at 0.75% of the diet. A commercial CLA preparation (CLA 60) containing 60% CLA isomers was included at 1.25% to provide 0.75% CLA in the diet. The inclusion of CLA in diets was initiated at various BW and fed until slaughter. Growth, carcass, meat quality, physical, chemical, and sensory data were collected and analyzed. Treatments T1, T2, T3, and T4 included the last 0, 29, 56 and 87 kg, respectively, of weight gain before slaughter. Average daily gain and feed intake were not affected (P > or = 0.06) by CLA, but gain:feed responded quadratically (P = 0.05), over the entire BW gain (28 to 115 kg) with pigs of T2 and T3 having the greatest gain:feed. Loin muscle area increased (P = 0.01) linearly with increasing weight gain while fed CLA, and 10th rib, first rib, and last rib fat depth decreased (P < or = 0.05) linearly. Subjective quality measures on loin muscles increased linearly for marbling (P < 0.05) and tended to increase for firmness (P = 0.07) with increasing weight gain while barrows were fed CLA. Objective Hunter color values for loin chops from T1 and T4 were not different for L* (P = 0.12) or a* (P = 0.08) values but were higher (P < 0.05) for b* values with CLA feeding. Lipid oxidation values of loin muscle tissue were lower (P < 0.05) for pigs fed CLA (T1 vs T4). Increasing the period of weight gain while feeding CLA linearly increased (P < 0.01) saturated fatty acids and CLA isomers in loin tissue and linearly increased (P < 0.01) saturated fatty acids and CLA isomers in subcutaneous adipose tissue. Sensory panel characteristics of loin chops were not changed (P > 0.05) by feeding CLA. Increased gain:feed, increased loin muscle area, decreased fat depth, and improvements in marbling and firmness with CLA feeding could result in improved profitability of pork production systems.     

Diverse birth and rearing environment effects on pig growth and meat quality

Birth and rearing conditions were evaluated for their effects on pig growth, body composition, and pork quality using 48 barrows during the spring and summer months. Pigs were either farrowed in indoor crates or outdoor huts. At weaning, indoor-born and outdoor-born pigs were randomly allotted to indoor or outdoor treatments for growing/finishing. Body weight data were collected. Pigs were transported 5 h to a commercial processing plant, allowed 2 h of rest, and then processed as a group under commercial conditions. Boneless loins were collected from the left side of each carcass and aged for 14 d. Objective and subjective color measurements were taken on the longissimus muscle at the 10th rib on d 14 postmortem. Loin chops were evaluated for sensory attributes, shear force, and retail display features. Pigs born outdoors were heavier and had greater ADG at all growth intervals after weaning (d 28, 56, 112, and final weight, P < 0. 05) than pigs born indoors. Outdoor-born pigs had heavier carcass weights (91.2 vs 81.3+/-3.4 kg, P < 0.001), larger loineye areas (54.6 vs 49.7+/-0.2 cm , P < 0.05), and higher pork flavor intensity scores (6.5 vs 6.1+/-0.10, P < 0.01) than indoor-born pigs. Birth x rearing environment interactions were not significant for most measures. Backfat measurements at the last rib were greater (3.2 vs 2.8+/-0.05 cm, P < 0.05) for the pigs reared outdoors than for the pigs reared indoors. Pigs finished outdoors had more reddish pink color scores, lower shear force values, and lower L* values, indicating darker-colored pork, compared with pigs finished indoors (P < 0.05). Pig birth environment played a significant role in improving growth rates of outdoor-born pigs and increasing pork flavor intensity scores of loin chops from pigs born outdoors. Finishing pigs outdoors may improve pork color and tenderness but also may increase backfat thickness when they are fed conventional diets.     

Characterization of lipid in loin and bacon from finishing pigs fed full-fat soybeans or tallow.

This experiment tested whether the lipid composition of pork could be altered by changes in dietary lipid, that what effects these changes would have on production and meat characteristics. Pigs were fed diets containing 10 or 20%+ extruded full-fat soybeans (FFS) or 4% tallow for a 3- or 6-wk finishing period, with a corn-soybean meal diet fed as a control. Seventy barrows and 70 gilts were allotted into seven treatment groups with four pens per group. Analysis was on 28 experimental units, which were composite samples from pens. The significance of treatment, sex, and treatment x sex interaction F-statistics was evaluated on chloroform-methanol extractable total lipid, triacylglycerol, phospholipids, cholesterol, individually fatty acids (FA), and the major classes of FA obtained from longissimus muscle and bacon. Treatment effects (P less than .05) were detected for cholesterol content of longissimus and for total lipid and phospholipid content of bacon. Treatment effects (P less than .01) were detected for monoenoic, dienoic, and polyenoic (P) FA in both tissues, and for saturated (S) FA in bacon (P less than .05). Treatment effects (P less than .001) were detected in both tissues for the P:S ratio. The P:S ratio increased 54% for longissimus and 100% for bacon in the pigs fed FFS for 6 wk compared with pigs consuming a corn-soybean meal diet.     

Conjugated linoleic acid changes swine performance and carcass composition

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a collective term for positional and geometric isomers of linoleic acid. Dietary CLA has been shown to improve feed efficiency, decrease body fat, and increase lean tissue in laboratory animals. We hypothesized that CLA would improve performance and carcass composition and would be deposited in pork tissues. Diets of 40 crossbred pigs were supplemented with CLA to determine its effects on performance and carcass composition. Eight replications of five littermate barrows with an initial average weight of 26.3 kg were allotted at random to individual pens. Within replication dietary treatments containing 0, 0.12, 0.25, 0.5, or 1.0% CLA were assigned at random. Pigs were weighed and feed disappearance was determined at 14-d intervals. Average daily gain increased linearly as the level of CLA increased in the diet (P < 0.05). Average daily feed intake was not affected by the concentration of CLA in the diet. Therefore, a linear increase in gain:feed ratio (P < 0.05) was observed. Carcasses from animals fed control diets had greater 10th rib backfat than carcasses from animals fed CLA (P < 0.05). Ultrasound measurement and carcass measurements showed less fat depth over the loin eye at the 10th rib of pigs fed doses of CLA (P < 0.05) than that observed for control pigs. Belly hardness (firmness) increased linearly as the concentration of CLA in the diet increased when bellies were measured for firmness either lean side up (P < 0.001) or lean side down (P < 0.05). Loin dissection data demonstrated that CLA produced a quadratic treatment effect both for less intermuscular fat (P < 0.001) and less subcutaneous fat (P < 0.05) and a linear increase for bone (P < 0.05), although finished loin weight only tended to increase (P = 0.08). The CLA concentration increased in a linear relationship in both subcutaneous fat (P < 0.001) and lean tissue (P < 0.001). Dietary CLA was incorporated into pig tissues and had positive effects on performance and body composition.     

Effects of conjugated linoleic acid on the belly firmness and fatty acid composition of genetically lean pigs.

A study of the effects of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on the belly firmness and fatty acid composition of genetically lean pigs was conducted. From 75 to 120 kg live weight, 30 gilts were allowed ad libitum access to a corn-soybean meal diet supplemented with either 1% CLA oil (CLA-60) or 1% sunflower oil (SFO) or were fed the sunflower oil-supplemented diet restricted to the amount consumed by pigs fed the CLA-60 diet (RSFO). Conjugated linoleic acid oil consists of 60% positional and geometric isomers of CLA. Pigs fed SFO exhibited higher average daily gains (0.98 vs 0.80 kg/d, P < 0.01) than RSFO-fed pigs, but there were no effects of dietary treatment on feed intake or feed efficiency. Dietary treatment did not affect (P > 0.05) backfat thickness or longissimus muscle area. Bellies of gilts fed CLA-60 were subjectively evaluated to be firmer (2.91 vs 2.43 or 2.07 +/- 0.13, P < 0.01) than those of SFO- or RSFO-fed gilts, respectively. The longissimus muscle of gilts fed CLA-60 contained more saturated fatty acids (39.77 vs. 36.04 or 36.73 +/- 0.74%, P < 0.001) and less unsaturated fatty acids (60.23 vs 63.96 or 63.27 +/- 0.74%, P < 0.001) than that of gilts fed SFO or RSFO, respectively. The belly fat of gilts fed CLA-60 contained more saturated fatty acids (44.45 vs. 37.50 or 36.60 +/- 0.46%, P < 0.001) and less unsaturated fatty acids (54.78 vs. 61.75 or 62.47 +/- 0.46%, P < 0.001), resulting in lower iodine values (57.69 vs 66.37 or 65.62 +/- 0.91, P < 0.001) than that of gilts fed SFO or RSFO, respectively. Gilts fed CLA-60 accumulated more CLA in the longissimus muscle (0.55 vs 0.09 or 0.09 +/- 0.03%, P < 0.01) and belly fat (1.56 vs. 0.13 or 0.13 +/- 0.15%, P < 0.001) than did gilts fed SFO or RSFO, respectively. Dietary treatment did not affect (P > 0.05) 24-h pH, drip loss or subjective quality evaluations of the longissimus muscle. The effect of supplemental CLA to improve belly firmness is of practical significance and may provide a nutritional solution to carcass fat and belly firmness problems, thereby enhancing the overall value of extremely lean carcasses.     

Effect of conjugated linoleic acid on meat quality,lipid metabolism,and sensory characteristics of dry-cured hams from heavy pigs

We investigated conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) supplementation administered to heavy pigs, assessing carcass characteristics, meat quality, and sensory characteristics of dry-cured (Parma) ham. Thirty-six pigs, averaging 97 kg BW, were assigned randomly to three feeding groups in which diets were supplemented with either 0, 0.25, or 0.5% (as-fed basis) of a CLA preparation containing 65% CLA isomers. All pigs were slaughtered at 172 kg BW. No (P > 0.05) differences were observed in dressing percentage, loin and ham weight, or pH and color of longissimus and semimembranosus muscle. Tenth-rib backfat thickness tended to be lower (P < 0.10) in carcasses from CLA-fed pigs. The oxidative stability of longissimus muscle was greater (P < 0.05) in pigs fed CLA than control, but only at the longer (300 min) oxidation time. Acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity in adipose tissue of CLA-fed pigs was less (P < 0.05) than that of pigs fed diets devoid of supplemental CLA. Composition of ham fat was markedly affected (P < 0.01) by dietary CLA, with higher saturated fatty acids, lower monounsaturated fatty acids, and higher CLA in the fat of CLA-fed pigs regardless of supplementation level. Although melting quality was improved (P < 0.05), most sensory characteristics and the chemical composition of dry-cured hams were not (P > 0.05) affected by incorporation of CLA. Results indicated that dietary CLA alters lipid metabolism, producing lower concentrations of monounsaturated fatty acids and increased concentrations of CLA isomers in the fat of heavy pigs. Moreover, supplementing diets with CLA produced only minimal improvements in Parma ham sensory traits and had no appreciable effects on fresh pork quality.     

The tryptophan requirement of growing and finishing barrows

Five experiments were conducted to determine the true ileal digestible Trp (tidTrp) requirement of growing and finishing pigs fed diets (as-fed basis) containing 0.87% (Exp. 3), 0.70% (Exp. 4), 0.61% (Exp. 5), and 0.52% (Exp. 1 and 2) tidLys during the early-grower, late-grower, early-finisher, and late-finisher periods, respectively. Treatments were replicated with three or four replications, with three or four pigs per replicate pen. Treatment differences were considered significant at P = 0.10. Experiment 1 was conducted with 27 pigs (initial and final BW of 78.3 +/- 0.5 and 109.8 +/- 1.9 kg) to validate whether a corn-feather meal (FM) tidTrp-deficient (0.07%) diet, when supplemented with 0.07% crystalline l-Trp, would result in growth performance and carcass traits similar to a conventional corn-soybean meal (C-SBM) diet. Pigs fed the corn-FM diet without Trp supplementation had decreased growth performance and carcass traits, and increased plasma urea N (PUN) concentration. Supplementing the corn-FM diet with Trp resulted in greater ADG and G:F than pigs fed the positive control C-SBM diet. Pigs fed the corn-FM diet had similar carcass traits as pigs fed the C-SBM diet, but loin muscle area was decreased and fat thickness was increased. In Exp. 2, 60 pigs (initial and final BW of 74.6 +/- 0.50 and 104.5 +/- 1.64 kg) were used to estimate the tidTrp requirement of finishing pigs. The levels of tidTrp used in Exp. 2 were 0.06, 0.08, 0.10, 0.12, or 0.14% (as-fed basis). Response variables were growth performance, PUN concentrations, and carcass traits and quality. For Exp. 2, the average of the estimates calculated by broken-line regression was 0.104% tidTrp. In Exp. 3, 4, and 5, barrows (n = 60, 60, or 80, respectively) were allotted to five dietary treatments supplemented with crystalline l-Trp at increments of 0.02%. The basal diets contained 0.13, 0.09, and 0.07% tidTrp (as-fed basis) in Exp. 3, 4, and 5, and initial BW of the pigs in these experiments were 30.9 +/- 0.7, 51.3 +/- 1.1, and 69.4 +/- 3.0 kg, respectively. The response variable was PUN, and the basal diet used in Exp. 3 and 4 contained corn, SBM, and Canadian field peas. The tidTrp requirements were estimated to be 0.167% for pigs weighing 30.9 kg, 0.134% for pigs weighing 51.3 kg, and 0.096% for pigs weighing 69.4 kg. Based on our data and a summary of the cited literature, we suggest the following total Trp and tidTrp requirement estimates (as-fed basis): 30-kg pigs, 0.21 and 0.18%; 50-kg pigs, 0.17 and 0.14%; 70-kg pigs, 0.13 and 0.11%; and in 90-kg pigs, 0.13 and 0.11%.     

Interactive effect of ractopamine and dietary fat source on quality characteristics of fresh pork bellies

Crossbred pigs (n = 216) were used to test the interaction, if any, of ractopamine (RAC) and dietary fat source on the characteristics of fresh pork bellies. Pigs were blocked by BW (77.6 +/- 6.5 kg) and allotted randomly to pens (6 pigs/pen). After receiving a common diet devoid of RAC for 2 wk, pens within blocks were assigned randomly to 1 of 4 treatments arranged in a 2 x 2 factorial design, with 5% fat (beef tallow vs. soybean oil) and RAC (0 vs. 10 mg/kg). At the conclusion of the 35-d feeding period, pigs were slaughtered at a commercial pork packing plant (average BW of 108.8 +/- 0.6 kg), and fresh bellies were captured during carcass fabrication. Neither RAC (P = 0.362) nor fat source (P = 0.247) affected belly thickness. Subjective (bar-suspension) or objective (compression test) measures of belly firmness were not (P > or = 0.148) affected by the inclusion of RAC in the diet; however, bellies from pigs fed soybean oil (SBO) were softer than those from pigs fed beef tallow (BT), as indicated by perpendicular (P < or = 0.005) and parallel (P < 0.001) suspensions. Moreover, bellies from BT-fed pigs required more (P = 0.096) force to compress 50% of their thickness than bellies from SBO-fed pigs (52.29 vs. 43.51 kg). Color (L*, a*, and b* values) of the belly lean and fat was not (P > or = 0.131) affected by RAC, and lean color was similar (P > or = 0.262) between fat sources; however, belly fat from BT-fed pigs was lighter (P = 0.030) and redder (P = 0.013) in color than belly fat from SBO-fed pigs. Bellies of SBO-fed pigs had greater (P < 0.001) proportions of PUFA and lower (P < 0.001) proportions of SFA and MUFA than belly fat from pigs fed BT. Regardless of the RAC inclusion level, PUFA:SFA and iodine values were lower in belly fat from pigs fed BT than SBO; however, within SBO-fed pigs, PUFA:SFA and iodine values were further increased by feeding RAC (RAC x fat source, P < 0.001). As expected, dietary fat source altered the fatty acid composition of fresh pork bellies, which subsequently impacted fresh belly firmness. Interestingly, including RAC in swine finishing diets exacerbated the effect of feeding SBO on pork fat polyunsaturation.     

Conjugated Linoleic Acid and Dietary Fats Differentially Affect Hepatic ACAT Activity and LDL-Cholesterol in Postweanling Pigs Fed Low-Fat Diets

Two separate studies tested the hypothesis that plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) can be decreased by conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) by depressing hepatic acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) activity.  In the first experiment, 3 groups of 6 early-weaned piglets were fed low-fat diets containing either 1.5% CLA, 1.5% corn oil or 1.5% beef tallow; fat provided 8% of the energy intake.  In the second experiment, 4 groups of 6 early-weaned piglets were fed high-fat diets containing either 15% beef tallow, 12% beef tallow plus 3% CLA, 15% corn oil, or 12% corn oil plus 3% CLA; fat provided 29% of energy intake.  Cholesterol was balanced across diets in both experiments.  In pigs fed the low-fat diets, all dietary fats increased LDL-C and triacylglycerols and decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C). LDL-C was the same in pigs fed low-fat tallow or low-fat CLA diets.  However, ACAT activity was nearly 80% higher in pigs fed the low-fat tallow diet than in pigs fed the low-fat CLA diets.  All high-fat diets increased LDL-C, HDL-C and triacylglycerols equally with no effect on VLDL-C.  There were no unique fatty acid effects of the high-fat diets on ACAT activity.  We conclude that supplemental fats had differential effects on hepatic ACAT activity and LDL-C, but only in pigs fed low-fat diets.     

Conjugated linoleic acid depresses the delta9 desaturase index and stearoyl coenzyme A desaturase enzyme activity in porcine subcutaneous adipose tissue

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been shown to have an effect on subcutaneous fatty acid composition and has been reported to decrease stearoyl coenzyme A desaturase (SCD) activity by decreasing mRNA expression and(or) catalytic activity in rodents and rodent cell lines. This investigation was designed to study the effects of CLA, corn oil, or beef tallow supplementation on s.c. adipose tissue fatty acid composition, adiposity, SCD enzyme activity, and the delta9 desaturase index in piglets. Eighteen crossbred barrows 16 to 18 d of age were adapted to diet for 1 wk and then assigned randomly to one of three treatments: 1.5% added CLA, 1.5% added corn oil, or 1.5% added beef tallow. Barrows were penned individually and fed the supplemental oils for 35 d (to 25.6 +/- 0.6 kg BW). Subcutaneous adipose tissue samples were obtained after slaughter. Fatty acid composition of the s.c. adipose tissue differed for each fatty acid measured due to diet with the exception of 18:3. The concentrations of CLA trans-10, cis-12 and cis-9, trans-11 were elevated from nondetectable to 1.62 and 2.52 g/100 g lipid, respectively (P < 0.001 for both isomers). Conjugated linoleic acid decreased the delta9 desaturase index (P < 0.01) and SCD enzyme activity, expressed as nanomoles of palmitate converted to palmitoleate/(7 min x g of tissue) (P = 0.075) and nanomoles of palmitate converted to palmitoleate/(7 min 105 cells) (P= 0.056). Tallow-fed pigs had a greater proportion of large adipocytes (> 700 pL) and the greatest SCD activity. These data provide the first direct evidence that dietary CLA depresses SCD enzyme activity in porcine adipose tissue, which may in part be responsible for the depression of adiposity by CLA observed by others in market weight pigs.     

Conjugated Linoleic Acid and Dietary Fats Differentially Affect Hepatic ACAT Activity and LDL-Cholesterol in Postweanling Pigs Fed Low-Fat Diets

Two separate studies tested the hypoth-esis that plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) can be decreased by conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) by depressing hepatic acyl-coenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) activity. In the first experiment, 3 groups of 6 early-weaned piglets were fed low-fat diets containing either 1.5% CLA, 1.5% corn oil or 1.5% beef tallow;fat provided 8% of the energy intake. In the second experiment, 4 groups of 6 early-weaned piglets were fed high-fat di-ets containing either 15% beef tallow, 12% beef tal-low plus 3% CLA, 15% corn oil, or 12% corn oil plus 3% CLA; fat provided 29% of energy intake. Cholesterol was balanced across diets in both experi-ments. In pigs fed the low-fat diets, all dietary fats in-creased LDL-C and triacylglycerols and decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C). LDL-C was the same in pigs fed low-fat tallow or low-fat CLA diets. However, ACAT activity was near-ly 80% higher in pigs fed the low-fat tallow diet than in pigs fed the low-fat CLA diets. All high-fat diets increased LDL-C, HDL-C and triacylglycerols equally with no effect on VLDL-C. There were no unique fat-ty acid effects of the high-fat diets on ACAT activity.We conclude that supplemental fats had differential effects on hepatic ACAT activity and LDL-C, but on-ly in pigs fed low-fat diets.     

Effects of choice white grease or poultry fat on growth performance, carcass leanness, and meat quality characteristics of growing-finishing pigs.

Eighty-four crossbred gilts were used to evaluate the effects of dietary choice white grease (CWG) or poultry fat (PF) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and quality characteristics of longissimus muscle (LM), belly, and bacon of growing-finishing pigs. Pigs (initially 60 kg) were fed a control diet with no added fat or diets containing 2, 4, or 6% CWG or PF. Diets were fed from 60 to 110 kg and contained 2.26 g lysine/Mcal ME. Data were analyzed as a 2 x 3 factorial plus a control with main effects of fat source (CWG and PF) and fat level (2, 4, and 6%). Pigs fed the control diet, 2% fat, and 4% fat had greater (P < 0.05) ADFI than pigs fed 6% fat. Pigs fed 6% fat had greater (P < 0.05) gain/feed (G/F) than pigs fed the control diet or other fat levels. Subcutaneous fat over the longissimus muscle from pigs fed CWG had more (P < 0.05) moisture than that from pigs fed PF. Feeding dietary fat (regardless of source or level) reduced (P < 0.05) the amount of saturated fats present in the LM. Similarly, 4 or 6% fat decreased (P < 0.05) the amount of saturated fats and increased unsaturated fats present in the bacon. No differences (P > 0.05) were observed for ADG, dressing percentage, leaf fat weight, LM pH, backfat depth, LM area, percentage lean, LM visual evaluation, LM waterholding capacity, Warner-Bratzler shear and sensory evaluation of the LM and bacon, fat color and firmness measurements, or bacon processing characteristics. Adding dietary fat improved G/F and altered the fatty acid profiles of the LM and bacon, but differences in growth rate, carcass characteristics, and quality and sensory characteristics of the LM and bacon were minimal. Dietary additions of up to 6% CWG or PF can be made with little effect on quality of pork LM, belly, or bacon.     

Effects of pea chips on pig performance, carcass quality and composition, and palatability of pork

Pea chips are produced as a by-product when field peas are processed to produce split peas for human consumption. The objective of this experiment was to test the hypothesis that inclusion of pea chips in diets fed to finishing pigs does not negatively influence pig growth performance, carcass composition, and the palatability of pork. A total of 24 barrows (initial BW: 58.0 ± 6.6 kg) were allotted to 1 of 4 treatments and fed early finishing diets for 35 d and late finishing diets for 35 d. A corn-soybean meal (SBM) control diet and 3 diets containing pea chips were formulated for each phase. Pea chips replaced 33.3, 66.6, or 100% of the SBM in the control diet. Pigs were housed individually, and all pigs were slaughtered at the conclusion of the experiment. Overall, there were no differences (P > 0.11) in final BW, ADFI, and G:F of pigs among treatments, but there was a quadratic response in ADG (P = 0.04), with the smallest value observed in pigs fed the control diet. Dressing percentage linearly decreased (P = 0.04) as pea chips replaced SBM in diets, but there were no differences (P > 0.20) among treatments in HCW, LM area, 10th-rib backfat, lean meat percentage, and marbling. Likewise, pH in loin and ham, drip loss, and purge loss were not influenced (P > 0.13) by treatment. However, there was a quadratic response (P = 0.08) in 24-h pH in the shoulder, with the smallest value present in pigs fed the diet, in which 66.6% of the SBM was replaced by pea chips. Subjective LM color and Japanese color score standard were reduced (quadratic, P = 0.03 and 0.05, respectively) and LM b* values and hue angle were increased (quadratic, P = 0.09 and 0.10, respectively) when pea chips replaced SBM in the diets. Ham L* (quadratic, P = 0.04), a* (linear, P = 0.02), b* (quadratic, P = 0.07), color saturation (linear, P = 0.02), and hue angle (quadratic, P = 0.05) were increased when pea chips replaced SBM. However, there were no differences (P > 0.16) in shoulder and fat color. Moreover, cook loss percentage, shear force, juiciness, and pork flavor of pork chops were not different (P > 0.10) among treatments, but tenderness of pork chops linearly decreased (P = 0.04) as SBM replaced pea chips. It is concluded that all the SBM in diets fed to growing-finishing pigs may be replaced by pea chips without negatively influencing growth performance or carcass composition. However, pigs fed pea chips will have pork chops and hams that are lighter, and chops may be less tender if pigs are fed pea chips rather than corn and SBM.     

Synergistic effects of betaine and conjugated linoleic acid on the growth and carcass composition of growing Iberian pigs

An experiment was conducted to determine the efficacy of dietary betaine, CLA, or both as growth promotants and carcass modifiers in growing Iberian pigs. Twenty gilts (20 kg of BW) were individually penned and fed barley- and soybean meal-based diets (12% CP, 0.81% Lys, and 14.8 MJ of ME/kg of DM) containing either no added betaine or CLA (control), 0.5% betaine, 1% CLA, or 0.5% betaine + 1% CLA, at 95% of ad libitum energy intake. An additional group of 5 pigs was slaughtered at the beginning of the experiment to obtain the initial body composition. At 30 kg of BW, a balance experiment was conducted. At 50 kg of BW, pigs were slaughtered and viscera was removed and weighed. Betaine or CLA alone did not affect growth performance. However, betaine + CLA increased ADG (601 vs. 558 g, P = 0.03) and gain relative to ME intake (25.4 vs. 22.2 g/MJ, P = 0.03) compared with control pigs. Digestibility of nutrients and metabolizability of energy did not differ among diets (P = 0.46 to 0.75). Carcass protein, water, and lean deposition (g/d) increased (19.8, 24.2, and 23.4%, respectively, P < 0.01) in pigs fed betaine + CLA compared with control pigs. Similarly, protein deposition relative to ME intake increased by 28% in betaine + CLA-supplemented pigs (P < 0.05). Fat and mineral deposition did not differ among treatments. Carcass protein, water, and lean content (g/kg of carcass) of pigs fed betaine + CLA-supplemented diets tended to increase (P = 0.07 to 0.09) and carcass fat content tended to decrease (P = 0.09). Similarly, estimated composition of carcass gain was affected, such that water and lean content tended to increase (P = 0.06 to 0.08), whereas fat tended to decrease (P = 0.08) in pigs fed betaine + CLA-supplemented diets. Longissimus muscle area was not altered by treatments (P = 0.49). The liver of pigs fed betaine + CLA diets had increased weight (19%, P < 0.05) compared with control pigs. Overall, dietary supplementation of betaine + CLA increased ADG, protein, water, and lean deposition in growing Iberian gilts. There appears to be a synergistic action when betaine and CLA are used together.     

Conjugated linoleic acid improves feed efficiency, decreases subcutaneous fat, and improves certain aspects of meat quality in stress-genotype pigs

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) was supplemented to crossbred growing-finishing barrows (n = 60) at 0.75% of the total diet. Pigs were randomly assigned to the CLA or control diets based on stress genotype (negative, carrier, or positive). Gain:feed was higher for CLA diet animals (350 g/kg feed) than for control diet animals (330 g/kg feed) independent of genotype (P < 0.05). No differences were observed for ADG for the diets (P = 0.71) or genotype classes (P = 0.40). Postmortem pH was lower (P < 0.01) by 3 h for CLA-supplemented pigs, with no differences in ultimate pH. No differences (P = 0.16) were observed for ultimate pH between the three genotypes. Conjugated linoleic acid-supplemented pigs exhibited less 10th rib fat depth (2.34 cm vs 2.84 cm) and last rib fat depth (2.46 cm vs 2.72 cm) than control pigs (P < 0.05). Loin muscle area (LMA) was not affected (P = 0.18) by CLA supplementation, but LMA was different (P < 0.02) for genotype; positive genotype carcasses had the largest LMA (45.02 cm2) and negative carcasses had the smallest LMA (36.44 cm2). Carrier carcasses were intermediate for LMA (40.76 cm2). Subjective scores for color were not affected (P = 0.98) by CLA but color was different (P < 0.01), with scores of 1.50, 2.40, and 3.1 for positive, carrier, and negative genotypes, respectively. Subjective marbling scores were increased (P < 0.03) in all genotypes with CLA supplementation. Subjective firmness scores were higher (P < 0.06) for CLA-supplemented pigs and were highly correlated (0.89) to marbling scores. The L* values were higher (P < 0.01) for stress-positive pigs at 24 h postmortem. Also, L* values were higher (P < 0.01) for CLA-fed pigs over 7 d of shelf storage. Sensory characteristics were not different with CLA supplementation for tenderness (P = 0.24), juiciness (P = 0.35), or flavor intensity (P = 0.14). This study showed that LMA was increased with stress-carrier and stress-positive genotypes, but lean color was negatively affected with the presence of the stress gene. Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation improves feed efficiency, decreases backfat, and improves pork quality attributes of marbling and firmness of the longissimus muscle. Furthermore, there is seemingly no interaction between the stress-genotype status of pigs and the subsequent effect of CLA on their growth and performance.