Nutritional manipulation increases intramuscular fat levels in the Longissimus muscle of female finisher pigs

Abstract

Fifty crossbred (Large White x Landrace x Duroc) female finisher pigs were used to determine the effect of nutritional manipulations on intramuscular fat deposition. The main nutritional treatments were (i) Control (pigs fed a commercial grower diet), (ii) -15% P:DE (pigs fed a 15% reduced protein:digestible energy diet during the grower phase), (iii) -30% P:DE (pigs fed a 30% reduced P:DE diet during the grower phase), (iv) +6% Fat (pigs fed diet supplemented with 6% additional fat during the grower phase), and (v) -Vit A (pigs fed a control diet with no supplemented Vit A in the mineral vitamin premix during the grower and finisher phase). Pigs fed the 30% reduced P:DE diet had an inferior..