Effect of crumbled diet on growth performance, market day age and meat quality of growing-finishing pigs

Abstract Text: This study was conducted to determine the effect of crumbled diet on growth performance, market day age, and meat quality of growing-finishing pigs. A total of 120 crossbred pigs [(Landrace × Yorkshire) × Duroc] with an average initial body weight (BW) of 25.89 ± 1.93 kg were randomly allotted to 2 experimental diets based on initial BW (15 replicate pens per treatment, 4 pigs per pen). The trial lasted for 120 d. Dietary treatments included: 1) T1 (mash diet); 2) T2 (crumble diet). Individual pig BW and pen feed consumption were recorded at the end of 6, 12, and 18 week to calculate the average daily gain (ADG), average feed intake (ADFI), and gain to feed ratio (G:F). Backfat thickness of all pigs was measured at 6 cm off the midline at the 10th rib using a real-time ultrasound instrument (Piglot 105; SFK Technology, Herlev, Denmark). Reflectance spectrometry measurements of lightness (L*), redness (a*), and yellowness (b*) values were determined using a Minolta CR410 chroma meter (Konica Minolta Sensing, Inc., Osaka, Japan). The pH values of each sample were measured with a pH meter (Fisher Scientific, Pittsburgh, PA, USA). The areas of pressed sample and expressed moisture were delineated and determined with a digitizing area-line sensor (MT - 10S; M.T. Precision Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). All data were subjected to the GLM procedures of SAS and differences among treatments were separated by Tukey’s multiple range test with a P < 0.05 indicating a significance. During the overall study period pigs fed the T2 (crumble diet) had significant greater (P < 0.05) average daily gain (ADG) (T1 = 803 g, T2 = 839 g) and gain to feed ratio (G:F) (T1 = 0.346, T2 = 0.359). Moreover, the number of pigs fed crumble diet reached the marketing age on d 177 is higher than the pigs fed mash diet. No significant difference was observed in back-fat thickness, meat colour, sensory evaluation (including: colour, firmness, marbling), cooking loss, drip loss, water holding capacity, and longgissimus muscle area (LAM) between T1 and T2 groups.  Our results revealed that the growth performance was significantly enhanced in pigs fed with the crumble diet. In addition, crumble diet reduced market day age of growing-finishing pigs.

Keywords: Crumble form, mash form, growing-finishing pigs