Dietary supplementation with Lonicera macranthoides leaf powder enhances growth performance and muscle growth of Chinese Tibetan pigs

The Effects of Dietary Inclusion of Mulberry Leaf Powder on Growth Performance, Carcass Traits and Meat Quality of Tibetan Pigs

This research was conducted to study the effects of dietary inclusion of mulberry leaf powder (MLP) on growth performance, meat quality, antioxidant activity, and carcass traits of Tibetan pigs. Eighteen Tibetan pigs (33.8 ± 1.1 kg) were assigned to two treatment groups randomly and received either the control diet (CON) or a basal diet containing 8% MLP (MLP) for two months. After the two-month feeding trial, the MLP group showed lower backfat thickness while a higher lean percentage. Compared with CON pigs, MLP pigs had higher serum CAT activity. In addition, dietary MLP supplementation significantly decreased the muscle shear force. Muscle fiber morphology analysis showed that MLP pigs had larger muscle fiber density while smaller muscle fiber cross-sectional area. Up-regulated gene expression of myosin heavy chain (MyHC)IIa was also observed in MLP pigs. These results indicate that the enhanced antioxidant activity and altered muscle fiber type and morphology appeared to contribute to the improvement of meat quality in Tibetan pigs fed diets containing MLP.

Meat Quality, Amino Acid, and Fatty Acid Composition of Liangshan Pigs at Different Weights

Simple Summary

The research on the quality of traditional pork can not only provide a reference for the thorough breeding and food development of pigs, but also make a reference for understanding the local history and social culture. The Liangshan pig is a traditional Chinese miniature pig breed. It is mainly raised in the Liangshan Yi area and is closely related to the dietary culture of the local people. The characteristics of, and changes in, the meat quality, amino acid composition and fatty acid composition of Liangshan pigs of different weights were revealed for the first time in this paper. It was found that as the weight of Liangshan pigs increased, the contents of marbling score, intramuscular fat, shear force, Met, Asp, Asn, C18: 0 and C20: 2 increased, and drip loss, Trp and C22: 6 decreased. Taken together, our findings serve as a reference for the development of the local Liangshan pig industry.

Abstract

Indigenous pig breeds are important biological resources and their diversity has been severely damaged. The Liangshan pig is a typical mountain-type local pig breed in southwest China. Here, the meat quality, amino acid, and fatty acid composition of Liangshan pigs were compared at seven stages within the weight range of 50–90 kg. A score for comprehensive factors of meat quality was maintained after rising and kept in a plateau within 74.9–91.5 kg of body weight. The total amount of amino acids in the longissimus dorsi muscle remained stable, and the total fatty acids showed an upward trend. Amino acid composition analysis revealed that as the body weight of Liangshan pigs increased, umami, basic, and acidic amino acid contents decreased, while the essential amino acids (EAA) content and the ratio of basic amino acids to acidic amino acids increased. Fatty acid composition analysis revealed that as body weight increased, the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) exhibited a downward trend, while the content of saturated fatty acids (SFA) exhibited an upward trend. This study is a primary step towards the development and utilization of Liangshan pigs and provides useful information for local pork processing and genetic improvement.

Dietary supplementation with the extract from Eucommia ulmoides leaves changed epithelial restitution and gut microbial community and composition of weanling piglets

This study was conducted to compare the effects of Eucommia ulmoides leaves (EL) in different forms (EL extract, fermented EL, and EL powder) with antibiotics on growth performance, intestinal morphology, and the microbiota composition and diversity of weanling piglets. Compared to the control group, the antibiotics and EL extract significantly increased the average daily gain and decreased the feed: gain ratio as well as the diarrhea rate (P < 0.05). The EL extract significantly decreased the crypt depth and increased the ratio of villus height to crypt depth (P < 0.05), while the fermented EL group did the opposite (P < 0.05). The crypt depth in the antibiotics group was of similar value to the EL extract group, and was lower than the fermented EL and EL powder groups (P < 0.05). Compared to the control and antibiotics groups, the jejunul claudin-3 mRNA expression and the concentrations of total VFA, Chao 1, and ACE were significantly augmented in the EL extract group of piglets (P < 0.05). The EL extract groups also showed elevated Shannon (P < 0.05) and Simpson (P = 0.07) values relative to the control and antibiotics groups. At the phylum level, the EL extract group exhibited a reduced abundance of Bacteroidetes and an enhanced abundance of Firmicutes. At the genus level, the abundance of Prevotella was augmented in the EL extract group. Moreover, compared with the antibiotic group, the acetate concentration was enhanced in the EL extract and fermented EL groups. Overall, dietary supplementation with the EL extract, but not the fermented EL or EL powder, improved growth performance, jejunul morphology and function, as well as changed colonic microbial composition and diversity, which might be an alternative to confer protection against weanling stress in weanling piglets.