The present study was conducted to elucidate the effects of feeding paddy rice as substitute for corn on growth performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality in finishing pigs. Twenty one barrows (LW×D crossbred) from five litters were used. We prepared experimental diets: a control diet based on corn (control group) and paddy rice diets. To make the paddy rice diets, we replaced corn in the control diet with paddy rice: the levels of paddy rice contained in the paddy rice diets were 30 (30% rice group) or 40% (40% rice group). The pigs were fed these diets throughout fattening period (70 to 110 kg of bodyweight). Daily gain of the 40% rice group was lower than that of the control and 30% rice group (P<0.05). Fattening period of the 40% rice group was longer than that of the control group (P<0.05). Backfat thickness of the 40% rice group was thicker than that of the control and 30% rice group (P<0.05). There were no differences among the groups in other carcass characteristics. Muscle color a* and b* values of Longissimus dorsi (L. dorsi) muscles of the 30% rice group were higher than that of the control and 40% rice group (P<0.05). Fat colors and melting point of inner layer backfat were not affected by the dietary treatments. Cooking loss, Warner-Bratzler shear force and intramuscular fat content of L. dorsi muscles also were not affected by the dietary treatments. There were no differences among the groups in fatty acid composition of L. dorsi muscles and inner layer backfat. These results suggest that a diet containing paddy rice at a level of 30% as substitute for corn fed to finishing pigs without negative effects on growth performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality.

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