A diet containing wine by-products was fed to finishing pigs, and the performance and characteristics of the carcass and pork were determined. Twenty-four castrated pigs (Landrace, Large White, and Duroc) weighing approximately 75kg were equally divided into a control group (where finishing pigs were fed market feed) and a test group (using feed containing 10% dried wine by-products). Growth and feed consumption were recorded for each pig, which was fed ad libitum until a body weight of approximately 110kg was reached. After slaughter, carcass characteristics were measured. The loins (M. longissimus thoracis) and fat (inner layer of subcutaneous fat) were separated from the carcasses and determined physiochemically. There was little difference in the daily gain and feed efficiency between the control and test groups, and their finishing periods were the same. No significant difference was observed in carcass length, carcass width, length of loin and backfat thickness between the two groups. The values for the Japanese Pork Color and Fat Color Standards, ether extract, marbling and free amino acids in the loin did not differ significantly between the experimental groups. The values by color meter for fat and loin were similar in both the control and test groups, except for a slightly higher b* for fat in the test group after 30 minutes of cutting, compared to the control group. Although the refractive index and the linoleic acid content of fat were slightly higher in the test group compared to the control group (P<0.05), the fat measurements for melting point and the contents of the other fatty acids were hardly affected by the wine by-products supplementation. These results indicate that wine by-products can be supplemented up to 10% in the finishing pig diet without any effect on the performance and characteristics of pork and carcass.

View full abstract

Two restriction methods for selection based on linear programming (LP) with constraints were compared by using data generated by Monte Carlo computer simulation in closed herds of swine. One restriction imposed was for the selection of candidates within each sex (method 1) ; the other was for all candidates for selection (method 2). Three closed breeding herds of 8 boars and 40 sows, 10 boars and 50 sows, and 12 boars and 60 sows, respectively, were simulated with random selection for three separate generations. The number of offspring raised per litter was constant and equal to one male and two females. For the last generation, animals were selected to maximize genetic gain in trait 1 while keeping the genetic progress constant for trait 2 by using LP with method 1 or method 2. There was no difference between the methods for trait 2. For trait 1, however, mean estimated breeding values (EBV) using method 2 were larger than those using method 1 for each population size. Mean EBV in trait 1 increased with population size for each method, but there was no difference between population sizes in trait 2. It was concluded that method 2 was better than method 1 for selection with constraints in closed herds of swine.

View full abstract