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Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility and Pork Quality in Swine Production

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A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Pigs".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 21739

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Prof. Dr. Eugeniusz Ryszard Grela

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Institute of Animal Nutrition and Bromatology, Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland
Interests: animal nutrition; pigs feeding; feed additives; ecological production; carcass traits; meat and fat quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Małgorzata Świątkiewicz

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Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, National Research Institute of Animal Production, ul. Krakowska 1, 32-083 Balice, Poland
Interests: pig nutrition; feed quality; feed supplements; carcass traits; meat and fat quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Optimal nutrition, breeding strategies, as well as environmental and slaughter conditions have a major influence on swine production efficiency and meat quality. The high nutrition costs require optimal precision of feeding and feed quality and digestibility. Special attention must be payed to feed additives improving nutrients absorption and reducing both feeding costs and environmental feces’ impact. Prenatal and early-life feeding strategies can promote long-term animal health and digestive tract development, affecting its enzymatic and microbiome states as well as nutrients digestion efficiency and, thus, meat quality. Meat quality is a result of complex interactions between pig genotype, rearing conditions, feeding, age, weight, castration, as well as environmental conditions during rearing and slaughter. In addition, consumer expectations put pressure on innovative production strategies, taking into account animal welfare and environmental safety and intended for high-quality meat products, obtained considering ecological concerns or local native breeds. Genomic and proteomics analyses are promising methods for the evaluation of the effect of nutrition on the expression of chosen genes, metabolic pathways, and transcriptomes, broadening our knowledge about the influence of nutrition on animal phenotype. Noninvasive biomarkers could also be helpful to evaluate animal health and welfare and to early predict final meat quality and production results.

This Special Issue is interested in both reviews and research papers on all aspects related to pig nutrition during all production stages: modulation of gut physiology, integrity, immunity, and microbiota; feed additives regulating intestinal absorption and/or meat quality; strategies to improve meat quality; ecological and native breed production systems. It is also interested in omics analyses of the effects of feeding from any perspective. This includes papers on management strategies during prenatal and early-life feeding having long-term beneficial effects on pig productivity.

Prof. Dr. Eugeniusz Ryszard Grela
Prof. Dr. Małgorzata Świątkiewicz
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

pig production strategies
pig feeding
nutrients digestibility
gut health, meat and fat quality
nutrigenomics
early life programming
ecological production
biomarkers of health and productivity.

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 295 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of the Zinc and Fibre Addition in the Diet on Biomechanical Bone Properties in Weaned Piglets

by Grzegorz Skiba, Stanisława Raj, Monika Sobol, Paweł Kowalczyk, Marcin Barszcz, Marcin Taciak, Anna Tuśnio, Klaudia Čobanová, Ľubomira Grešáková and Eugeniusz Ryszard Grela

Animals 2022, 12(2), 181; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12020181 - 12 Jan 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1640

Abstract

The effects of the zinc and fibre source in piglets’ diet on the bone mineral content, density, and strength parameters of the femur were investigated using 24 piglets fed a diet supplemented with either lignocellulose (LC) or potato fibre (PF). Half of each group of piglets consumed a diet with ZnSO₄ monohydrate or with zinc glycinate (ZnGly). The diets contained similar amounts of lysine, energy, and fibre. Bone mineral content and density were over 9% higher in pigs receiving diets with ZnGly than in animals fed diets with ZnSO₄. Moreover, ZnGly strongly improved maximum and elastic strength (by 25.7 and 20.0%, respectively, p < 0.0001) and bone stiffness (by 29.4%, p < 0.0001). Only the mass of the femur was affected by the type of fibre in the diet, as the femurs of piglets fed diets with LC were over 7% (p < 0.0001) heavier than in piglets fed diets with PF. The intake of digestible zinc and the zinc content in the blood serum were positively correlated with the measured bone parameters and, depending on the parameter, “r” ranged from 0.749 to 0.866 and from 0.400 to 0.479, respectively. It can be concluded that bone parameters are affected more strongly by the organic than inorganic source of zinc. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility and Pork Quality in Swine Production)

12 pages, 21758 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Regulation of Swine Growth by Backfat Tissue during Growing and Finishing Stages

by Young-Jun Seo, Byeonghwi Lim, Do-Young Kim, Kyu-Sang Lim and Jun-Mo Kim

Animals 2021, 11(12), 3511; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11123511 - 09 Dec 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2285

Abstract

Recently, interest in the function of pig backfat (BF) has increased in the field of livestock animals, and many transcriptome-based studies using commercial pig breeds have been conducted. However, there is a lack of comprehensive studies regarding the biological mechanisms of Korean native pigs (KNPs) and Yorkshire pig crossbreeds. In this study, therefore, BF samples of F1 crossbreeds of KNPs and Yorkshire pigs were investigated to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and their related terms using RNA-sequencing analysis. DEG analysis identified 611 DEGs, of which 182 were up-regulated and 429 were down-regulated. Lipid metabolism was identified in the up-regulated genes, whereas growth and maturation-related terminologies were identified in the down-regulated genes. LEP and ACTC1 were identified as highly connected core genes during functional gene network analysis. Fat tissue was observed to affect lipid metabolism and organ development due to hormonal changes driven by transcriptional alteration. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of BF contribution to crossbreeds of KNPs and Yorkshire pigs during growth periods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility and Pork Quality in Swine Production)

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17 pages, 310 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Carcass Composition and Quality of Meat of Pulawska and Pulawska x PLW Crossbred Pigs Fed Rations with Naked Oats

by Anna Milczarek

Animals 2021, 11(12), 3342; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11123342 - 23 Nov 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1358

Abstract

The study aimed to determine the impact of a 60% inclusion of naked oats in feed rations for Pulawska pigs and Pulawska x Polish Large White (PLW) crossbreds on the fattening performance, carcass composition, and meat quality. It was demonstrated that—independent from their diet—Pulawska pigs showed a daily weight gain about 14.5% lower (p ≤ 0.05), with about 15% higher feed conversion rate. The experimental factors showed no impact on the dressing percentage, meatiness, and backfat thickness, except that the “eye” of the loin was significantly smaller (by 4.55 cm²) in Pulawska pigs. There was no interaction effect (diet/breed) for the pigs’ performance results and carcass composition. A 60% inclusion of naked oats in the pigs’ diet did not affect the weight of primal cuts in the right-side half-carcass. Compared to Pulawska pigs, crossbreds featured a significantly lower weight of bacon and ribs (by 1.17 kg) but a higher (p ≤ 0.05) weight of fillet (by 1.0 kg) and ham with shin (by 0.43 kg). The diet had no impact on the evaluated muscles, except a reduction (by 2.3 points) in colour lightness (L) of musculus semimembranosus in fattening pigs receiving feed rations with a 60% share of oats. Both muscles in Pulawska pigs showed significantly better (p ≤ 0.05) water-holding capacity and reduced colour lightness (L) in comparison to crossbred pigs. Moreover, the longissimus lumborum muscle of Pulawska pigs had a higher chroma (C) and a lower hue (H). The contents of essential nutrients in the evaluated muscles did not depend on the pigs’ diet and breed, except that a higher by 0.3% (p ≤ 0.05) intramuscular fat content was found in the longissimus lumborum muscle of Pulawska pigs. Neither of the experimental factors showed significant impact on the total saturated fatty acids (SFA) and total unsaturated fatty acids (UFA), or on neutral or hypocholesterolemic (DFA) and hypercholesterolemic fatty acids (OFA) in the evaluated muscles. The muscles of Pulawska x PLW pigs contained more (by 1.77% FA in the longissimus lumborum and 1.16% in the semimembranosus) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) than the muscles of the Pulawska breed (p ≤ 0.05). In addition, naked oats included in the pigs’ diet increased (p ≤ 0.05) the share of PUFA in intramuscular fat. The muscles of Pulawska pigs, in comparison to the muscles of crossbreds, showed a significantly improved ratio: by 66% and 69% in the longissimus lumborum and the semimembranosus muscles, respectively. To sum up, a 60% inclusion of naked oats is recommended in the rations of both Pulawska pigs and Pulawska x PLW crossbreds, since it allows satisfactory carcass composition and meat quality to be maintained. Pulawska pigs had worse productivity ratios but showed improved meat quality traits in terms of the n-6/n-3 ratio. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility and Pork Quality in Swine Production)

15 pages, 829 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Dietary Perilla Cake Supplementation in Growing Pig on Productive Performance, Meat Quality, and Fatty Acid Profiles

by Chaiwat Arjin, Chanmany Souphannavong, Rakkiat Norkeaw, Niraporn Chaiwang, Supamit Mekchay, Apinya Sartsook, Maninphan Thongkham, Thanchanok Yosen, Warintorn Ruksiriwanich, Sarana Rose Sommano and Korawan Sringarm

Animals 2021, 11(11), 3213; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11113213 - 10 Nov 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2753

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of perilla cake (PC) supplementation in a growing pig diet on overall growing performance, meat quality, and fatty acid profile. A total of 24 barrow grower crossbred pigs (Large White × Landrace) × Duroc with an initial average body weight of 26.33 kg were fed with a basal diet supplemented with PC at 0%, 5%, and 10% in (PC0, PC5, and PC10, respectively) for 12 weeks. At the end of the experimental period, pigs were slaughtered to determine carcass traits and meat quality. Back fat, abdominal fat, and longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle were collected to investigate fatty acid composition. The results show that the average daily gain (ADG) in the PC10 significantly increased. However, PC supplementation did not influence carcass traits and meat quality except the color as described by lightness (L*). Dietary PC supplementation significantly increased the α-linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3 cis-9, 12, 15), whereas n6/n3 ratio decreased significantly in all tissues investigated. Thus, it can be concluded that the supplementation of PC in growing pig diet is a potential way to increase the fatty acid composition to that required for healthier meat. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility and Pork Quality in Swine Production)

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11 pages, 280 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Natural Sorbents in the Diet of Fattening Pigs on Meat Quality and Suitability for Processing

by Mateusz Ossowski, Łukasz Wlazło, Bożena Nowakowicz-Dębek and Mariusz Florek

Animals 2021, 11(10), 2930; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11102930 - 10 Oct 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1608

Abstract

The effect of three natural sorbents added to the diet of pigs on the composition and physicochemical properties of two skeletal muscles—the musculusLongissimuslumborum (MLL) and musculussemimembranosus (MSM) of crossbred pigs were evaluated. The experiment was carried out on a farm in two production cycles. The addition of biochar (trial 1) significantly influenced instrumental color parameters, shear force and energy, and the oxidative stability of the skeletal muscles, while the proximate composition, pH, texture, and water-holding capacity (WHC) parameters did not differ significantly between groups in either of the two muscles. Similarly, no statistical differences were noted in the proximate chemical composition, texture parameters, or WHC of the meat in trial 2. The addition of both sorbents was associated with a significantly (p ≤ 0.01) lower content of haem pigments in the MLL and MSM, which was accompanied by a significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher lightness (L*). Moreover, the MLL muscle of the pigs had higher oxidative stability, as well as lower drip loss (DL). In turn, the MSM of pigs had a significantly lower pH compared to the control group, however, the ultimate pH (48 h) in all groups was within the acceptable range (5.50–5.80). Summing up, the sorbents used are a safe ingredient in the diet of pigs, however, there is a need to continue and strengthen this line of research, including the relationships linking the future production goals of pig farming and processing potential in the meat industry with current climate policy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility and Pork Quality in Swine Production)

10 pages, 255 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Yeast Fermentation of Two Lupine Species on the Digestibility of Protein and Amino Acids, Microflora Composition and Metabolites Production in the Ileum of Growing Pigs

by Małgorzata Kasprowicz-Potocka, Anita Zaworska-Zakrzewska, Marcin Taciak and Andrzej Frankiewicz

Animals 2021, 11(10), 2894; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11102894 - 04 Oct 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1693

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of raw and Candida utilis-fermented yellow (YL) and narrow-leaved lupine (NL) seeds on the apparent ileal digestibility coefficients (AID) of protein and amino acids in pigs and the metabolic activity of their intestinal microflora. Five cross-bred castrated 25-kg barrows were surgically fitted with a T-cannula in the distal ileum and housed individually in metabolic cages. They were fed five semi-synthetic diets containing only one source of protein: soybean meal (SBM), raw or fermented yellow lupine seeds (RYL or FYL), raw or fermented narrow-leaved lupine seeds (RNL or FNL). The study period consisted of six-day adaptation to the diet and one-day collection of digesta, which was sampled for microbial and chemical analyses. The AID coefficients of protein and amino acids were calculated with the marker method with TiO₂. One-way (feed effect) and two-way (variety effect, fermentation effect) analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Duncan’s test at p < 0.05 were applied. The digesta from the SBM and FNL variants had significantly higher (p < 0.05) AID coefficients of protein, asparagine, threonine, serine, isoleucine, leucine, histidine, and tyrosine, whereas the SBM variant was characterized by the lowest AID of cystine and the highest AID of alanine and methionine (p < 0.05). The ileal digesta of the pigs fed with FYL contained more bacteria, whereas the count of yeast was higher in the FNL variant. The digesta of the pigs from the FNL and RYL variants had the highest count of moulds (p < 0.05), whereas the digesta in the FYL, SBM, and RNL variants had almost no moulds at all. The ileal dry matter content was significantly lower in SBM group. The lowest pH was noted in the RYL variant (p < 0.05). The content of ammonia and total volatile fatty acids in the ileal digesta of the SBM variant was the lowest (p < 0.05). Fermentation significantly improved the AID of protein, asparagine, threonine, tyrosine, histidine, and arginine, increased the counts of total bacteria and yeast, the pH value, and isobutyrate and isovalerate concentrations, but decreased the dry matter and ammonia content (p < 0.05). The digesta of the NL variants was characterized by higher AID of asparagine, threonine, serine, alanine, valine, isoleucine, and arginine, and higher counts of LAB and moulds but lower total bacteria count than in the YL variants. The ileal pH was lower in the YL variants, where higher isobutyrate and butyrate concentrations (p < 0.05) were observed. To sum up, fermentation increased the counts of the ileal microbiota and improved the digestibility coefficients of protein and some amino acids. The narrow-leaved lupine seeds resulted in more positive changes in the digesta of growing pigs than yellow lupine. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility and Pork Quality in Swine Production)

16 pages, 316 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Inulin Source and a Probiotic Supplement in Pig Diets on Carcass Traits, Meat Quality and Fatty Acid Composition in Finishing Pigs

by Eugeniusz R. Grela, Małgorzata Świątkiewicz, Mariusz Florek, Maciej Bąkowski and Grzegorz Skiba

Animals 2021, 11(8), 2438; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11082438 - 19 Aug 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3705

Abstract

In this experiment, we investigated the effect of the supplementation of probiotic bacteria in the diet with inulin or dried Jerusalem artichoke tubers on the performance, meat quality, and fatty acid composition in the meat and backfat of fatteners. One hundred and forty-four crossbred pigs (PIC × Penarlan P76) were divided into six groups and fattened from 30 to 114 kg. The meat proximate composition, pH, color, texture, shear force, water-holding capacity, sensory attributes, and thiobarbituric-acid-reactive substances were measured. Normal post-mortem meat glycolysis was demonstrated and no meat defects were present. The chemical constituents in muscle tissues were similar, except for intramuscular fat (IMF). The addition of the prebiotics resulted in a higher IMF level, whereas a significantly lower content was found after the probiotic supplementation. Meat from both prebiotic groups was lighter, less red, and more yellow and showed a higher hue angle. The addition of both prebiotics significantly improved the antioxidant status of meat (by approximately 16% and 18%) and the water-holding capacity (less free water and higher M/T ratios), but reduced shear force (by 17%, p ≤ 0.05) and hardness (by 39% and 35%, respectively, p ≤ 0.05). The addition of the prebiotics and probiotics had no effect on any of the evaluated sensory attributes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility and Pork Quality in Swine Production)

12 pages, 1938 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Diversity, Composition, and Metabolic Pathways of Archaea in Pigs

by Feilong Deng, Yushan Li, Yunjuan Peng, Xiaoyuan Wei, Xiaofan Wang, Samantha Howe, Hua Yang, Yingping Xiao, Hua Li, Jiangchao Zhao and Ying Li

Animals 2021, 11(7), 2139; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11072139 - 20 Jul 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4691

Abstract

Archaea are an essential class of gut microorganisms in humans and animals. Despite the substantial progress in gut microbiome research in the last decade, most studies have focused on bacteria, and little is known about archaea in mammals. In this study, we investigated the composition, diversity, and functional potential of gut archaeal communities in pigs by re-analyzing a published metagenomic dataset including a total of 276 fecal samples from three countries: China (n = 76), Denmark (n = 100), and France (n = 100). For alpha diversity (Shannon Index) of the archaeal communities, Chinese pigs were less diverse than Danish and French pigs (p < 0.001). Consistently, Chinese pigs also possessed different archaeal community structures from the other two groups based on the Bray–Curtis distance matrix. Methanobrevibacter was the most dominant archaeal genus in Chinese pigs (44.94%) and French pigs (15.41%), while Candidatus methanomethylophilus was the most predominant in Danish pigs (15.71%). At the species level, the relative abundance of Candidatus methanomethylophilus alvus, Natrialbaceae archaeon XQ INN 246, and Methanobrevibacter gottschalkii were greatest in Danish, French, and Chinese pigs with a relative abundance of 14.32, 11.67, and 16.28%, respectively. In terms of metabolic potential, the top three pathways in the archaeal communities included the MetaCyc pathway related to the biosynthesis of L-valine, L-isoleucine, and isobutanol. Interestingly, the pathway related to hydrogen consumption (METHANOGENESIS-PWY) was only observed in archaeal reads, while the pathways participating in hydrogen production (FERMENTATION-PWY and PWY4LZ-257) were only detected in bacterial reads. Archaeal communities also possessed CAZyme gene families, with the top five being AA3, GH43, GT2, AA6, and CE9. In terms of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), the class of multidrug resistance was the most abundant ARG, accounting for 87.41% of archaeal ARG hits. Our study reveals the diverse composition and metabolic functions of archaea in pigs, suggesting that archaea might play important roles in swine nutrition and metabolism. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility and Pork Quality in Swine Production)

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