The Effect of Hybrid Barley in the Diets of Fattening Pigs on Pork Oxidative Stability Related to the Fatty Acid Profile

Feed determines the quality of pork meat, in which the composition of the fatty acid (FA) profile is one of the easiest to modify by the application of selected feed components. Barley grains are considered to have an impact on meat quality, including pork; however, there are still limited data on the use of hybrid barley in fattening pigs' nutrition in relation to meat quality. The aim of this study was to determine the relation between meat quality, i.e., its oxidative stability, especially the FA profile, and fattening pigs' diets with hybrid barley and/or wheat. In group I, hybrid barley (HB) composed 80% of the feed; in group II, a mixture of (40% each) wheat and barley was used; and in group III, wheat (W) composed 80% of the feed. Meat samples were taken from twelve randomly selected carcasses chosen from each group. The meat analyses covered the physicochemical and sensory traits. The results showed that the pork meat of fattening pigs fed fodder with 80% HB had decreased palmitic acid concentrations and increased oleic acid concentrations. The meat of these pigs was characterised by the best marbling, which was closely related to its juiciness after thermal processing and determined its final culinary quality. Moreover, the meat from these pigs exhibited a reddish colour, before and after thermal processing. In summary, the application of hybrid barley into pig nutrition improved the quality of the culinary meat.

Effect of Duration of Dietary Rapeseed and Soybean Oil Feeding on Physical Characteristics, Fatty Acid Profile, and Oxidative Stability of Pig Backfat

This study compared the effect of two vegetable oils and their feeding duration on pig backfat quality. The experiment was conducted with 60 DanBred pigs that were fed a diet supplemented (40 g/kg) with rapeseed or soybean oil for 2, 4 or 6 weeks before slaughter at 152 d of age. The supplementation of both vegetable oils in the diets for 6 weeks negatively changed backfat consistency. The pigs fed soybean oil for 4 (17.64%) and 6 weeks (18.52%) before slaughter showed an increase in backfat linoleic acid content (p = 0.002), whereas, in contrast to the other groups, rapeseed oil in the diet for 6 weeks (2.38%) increased α-linolenic acid content (p = 0.039). The content of PUFAs (p = 0.024) and n-6 PUFAs (p = 0.003) was increased by adding soybean oil to the diet for 4 and 6 weeks. The ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFAs was decreased (p = 0.040) by supplementing rapeseed oil for 4 and 6 weeks. The oil feeding duration decreased (p < 0.001) the atherogenic and thrombogenic indices. The lipid oxidative stability of backfat stored for 3 and 5 days increased (p < 0.001) in pigs fed dietary vegetable oils for 6 weeks prior to slaughter. In conclusion, the feeding of rapeseed oil for 4 weeks before slaughter is sufficient for improving the FA profile without negative effect on the consistency of the backfat.