Growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality, and tissue histology of growing pigs fed crude glycerin-supplemented diets

• Published in: Journal of animal science Vol. 86; no. 11; pp. 2962 - 2970
• Main Authors: Lammers, P.J, Kerr, B.J, Weber, T.E, Bregendahl, K, Lonergan, S.M, Prusa, K.J, Ahn, D.U, Stoffregen, W.C, Dozier, W.A. III, Honeyman, M.S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Savoy, IL American Society of Animal Science 01-11-2008; Am Soc Animal Sci
• Subjects: animal growth; Animal productions; animal tissues; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Chemical Analysis; Body Composition; carcass characteristics; chemical concentration; crude glycerin; Dietary Supplements; fatty acid composition; Fatty Acids - chemistry; feed conversion; feed intake; feed supplements; feeder pigs; Female; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; glycerol; Glycerol - administration & dosage; grower diets; histology; lesions (animal); liveweight gain; Male; Meat - standards; Meat and meat product industries; meat quality; Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism; pig carcasses; pork; sensory evaluation; Swine - growth & development; Swine - physiology; swine feeding; Terrestrial animal productions; Vertebrates; meat quality; Farming animal; Growth; biofuel; Meat product; fatty acid; Lipids; Histology; Supplemented diet; Fatty acids; Carcass; Feeding; Pig; Meat; Tissue; Vertebrata; growing pig; Meat animals; Mammalia; Quality; crude glycerin; Artiodactyla; Performance; Ungulata
• ISSN: 0021-8812; 1525-3163
• DOI: 10.2527/jas.2008-0972

The effects of dietary crude glycerin on growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality indices, and tissue histology in growing pigs were determined in a 138-d feeding trial. Crude glycerin utilized in the trial contained 84.51% glycerin, 11.95% water, 2.91% sodium chloride, and 0.32% methanol. Eight days postweaning, 96 pigs (48 barrows and 48 gilts, average BW of 7.9 ± 0.4 kg) were allotted to 24 pens (4 pigs/pen), with sex and BW balanced at the start of the experiment. Dietary treatments were 0, 5, and 10% crude glycerin inclusion in corn-soybean meal-based diets and were randomly assigned to pens. Diets were offered ad libitum in meal form and formulated to be equal in ME, sodium, chloride, and Lys, with other AA balanced on an ideal AA basis. Pigs and feeders were weighed every other week to determine ADG, ADFI, and G:F. At the end of the trial, all pigs were scanned using real-time ultrasound and subsequently slaughtered at a commercial abattoir. Blood samples were collected pretransport and at the time of slaughter for plasma metabolite analysis. In addition, kidney, liver, and eye tissues were collected for subsequent examination for lesions characteristic of methanol toxicity. After an overnight chilling of the carcass, loins were removed for meat quality, sensory evaluation, and fatty acid profile analysis. Pig growth, feed intake, and G:F were not affected by dietary treatment. Dietary treatment did not affect 10th-rib backfat, LM area, percent fat free lean, meat quality, or sensory evaluation. Loin ultimate pH was increased (P = 0.06) in pigs fed the 5 and 10% crude glycerin compared with pigs fed no crude glycerin (5.65 and 5.65 versus 5.57, respectively). Fatty acid profile of the LM was slightly changed by diet with the LM from pigs fed 10% crude glycerin having less linoleic acid (P < 0.01) and more eicosapentaenoic acid (P = 0.02) than pigs fed the 0 or 5% crude glycerin diets. Dietary treatment did not affect blood metabolites or frequency of lesions in the examined tissues. This experiment demonstrated that pigs can be fed up to 10% crude glycerin with no effect on pig performance, carcass composition, meat quality, or lesion scores.