2011 Volume 48 Issue 2 Pages 47-57
The effects of supplementing fermented liquid feed with chocolate on the growth performance, carcass characteristics, and pork quality in finishing pigs were investigated. To elucidate the effects of differences in fatty acid composition of the added fat source, we also added soybean oil to the feed. Five pigs were assigned to receive control fermented liquid feed (Control group), five pigs were assigned to receive control fermented liquid feed supplemented with chocolate at a level of 12.2% (Chocolate group), and five pigs were assigned to receive control fermented liquid feed supplemented with soybean oil at a level of 5% (Soybean oil group). The levels of crude fat in the feeds of the Chocolate group and the Soybean oil group were equivalent. All pigs were fed ad libitum from the body weight of 67kg to 110kg and then slaughtered. There were no significant differences among the groups in average daily gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio. The intramuscular fat contents and iodine value of subcutaneous (inner layer) and intermuscular fat of pigs in the Soybean oil group were higher (P<0.05) than those of the Control and Chocolate groups. The level of fatty acids in the subcutaneous fat of the Chocolate group was not different from the Control group. The level of saturated fatty acids in the subcutaneous fat of the Soybean oil group was lower than that of the Control group (P<0.05). The level of mono-unsaturated fatty acids and poly-unsaturated fatty acids of the Soybean oil groups was higher than those of the Control (P<0.01). The L* values of subcutaneous and intermuscular fat of the Chocolate group were higher than those of the Control and Soybean oil groups (P<0.05). Thus, feeding fermented liquid feed supplemented with chocolate may result in a brighter color of pork and the prevention of soft fat, which was probably resulted in the feeding by feed supplemented with soybean oil. We conclude that chocolate is an effective feed resource for finishing pigs though it is necessary to limit the amount.
