The influence of green tea in pig feed on meat production and quality was examined. Fifteen castrated pigs produced by two dams were fed one of the diets added tea at three different levels; no tea in control group, 1% tea in group 1, and 3% tea in group 2. Tea was added to feed when the average body weight for each group reached about 70kg. The pigs were reared with ad libitum feeding until they attained a body weight of 105kg. The feeding periods of control group, groups 1 and 2 averaged 37.8, 43.4 and 57.4 days, respectively. After slaughter, the characteristics of the carcasses were measured, and loins at the position of two thoracic vertebra from the last thoracic vertebra were sampled and analyzed for water holding capacity, color, physical characteristics, chemical composition, and fatty acid composition. The pig in group 2 of 3% tea addition had inferior growth compared with the control group and decreased the accumulation of fat. The tea additive did not influence water holding capacity, intramuscular fat or tenderness. The tea additive influenced the fatty acid in the loin. At the rate of 3%, the tea caused an anticipated increase in the ratio of linoleic acid (18:2), linolenic acid (18:3), and eicosa dienoic acid (20:2). There was a tendency for the ratio of oleic acids (18:1) to decrease oppositely compared with the control group. Moreover, the concentration of Vitamin E (α tocopherol) in the loins of the experiment group 2 (0.200mg/100g) was higher than that in the loin of control group (0.160mg/100g) and experimental group 1 (0.156mg/100). The results concerning cholesterol concentration were the reverse of the Vitamin E findings. Cholesterol concentration of group 2 (60.60mg/100g) was lower than that of control group (65.25mg/100g).

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Experiments were carried out to examine the influence of dried seaweed stalk and breadcrumbs in pig feed on meat production and meat quality. Eight gifts and eight barrows of LWD pigs were used for the experiment. The pigs were divided into four groups at 30kg BW, and reared individually until they attained to 70kg BW. Feed additives were used from 70kg to 105kg for the four groups. The dried seaweed stalk and breadcrumbs were mixed with feed at a rate of 0.3% and 5%, respectively, in group 1. Dried seaweed stalk was added exclusively to the feed for group 2, and breadcrumbs were used for group 3 alone. Neither additive was used for group 4. When the pigs reached 105kg, they were slaughtered, and carcass traits were measured. The loin meat at the position of two thoracic vertebras from the last thoracic vertebra was sampled. The samples were analyzed for water holding capacity, meat color, physical characteristics and chemical composition. The effect of additional breadcrumbs on most meat production and meat quality traits was not statistically significant. The addition of dried seaweed stalk to feed significantly improved total feed intake (121.1kg) and the feed conversion ratio (3.588) from 70kg to 105kg body weight, when compared with the group that received no additives (142.3kg and 4.215). Moreover, the cooking loss in the group 1 and 2 that received dried seaweed stalk was significantly less than that in the group 3 and 4. These results suggested that the addition of dried seaweed stalk improved feed utility and meat quality.

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Experiments were conducted to examine the effects of low crude protein (CP) diet on reproductive performance and nitrogen excretion of sows during early and middle stages of pregnancy (from mating to 75 days pregnant). Thirty-six sows were divided in two experiments. In experiment 1, the reproductive performance from first to sixth parity were investigated using twenty sows. They were fed 2.5kg per day of diets containing standard CP (12.5%), middle CP (10%) or low CP (7%) during early and middle stages, 2.5kg per day of standard-CP diets during last stage, and ad libitum diets containing 15% CP during lactating stage. In experiment 2, the same diets as experiment 1 other than middle CP group were fed to the sixteen sows with the restricted feeding of 2.0kg per day, and they were investigated in the reproductive performance and the urinary nitrogen excretion at the first parity.
In experiment 1, sows fed 2.5kg per day of standard-, middle- and low-CP diets (lysine intakes were 13.8, 11.0 and 8.3g per day, respectively) showed similar new born and weanling litter size, body weight of piglets, and the interval of postpartum estrus from first to sixth parity.
In experiment 2, sows fed 2.0kg per day of low-CP dies (6.6g of lysine intake per day) showed the significant low newborn and weanling litter size (P<0.05), but the other reproductive performance parameters were similar to sows fed 2.0kg per day of standard diets (11.0g of lysine intake per day). Urinary nitrogen excretion for sows fed low-CP diets resulted in 64% of that from sows fed standard diets (P<0.01).
These results show that the reduced CP regimen above 8.3g of lysine per day for sows at the early and middle stages of pregnancy has no adverse effect on the reproductive performance from first to sixth parity, and suggests the probability of the reduction of urinary nitrogen excretion.

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