Effect of dietary inclusion of a herbal extract mixture and different oils on pig performance and meat quality
Highlights
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- Effects of herbal extracts and oils on pig performance and meat quality were tested.
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- Used plant extracts and oils did not change pig weight gains nor feed utilization.
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- Beneficial health aspects of meat from pigs fed with herbal extracts were observed.
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- Herbal extracts improved oxidative stability as well as smell and taste of meat.
Abstract
The
aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of a herbal extract mixture
on pig performance and meat quality. The experiment was performed on 60
fatteners (60 ± 0.5–112 ± 2.0 kg). Group I (control) was fed with
standard feed; groups II and III received the same feed supplemented
with 150 mg BHT or 500 mg of a herbal extract mixture (sage, nettle,
lemon balm and coneflower) per kg of feed, respectively. In each group,
half of the animals received 4% rapeseed oil, the other half soybean
oil. The herbal extracts had no effect on animal performance but
significantly improved meat oxidative stability, lowered cholesterol and
TI index and increased PUFA content in meat. Slight differences between
animals fed with rapeseed or soybean oils were observed. Gilt meat had
significantly better (P ≤ 0.01) AI, TI, and h/H indices than barrow
meat. It was concluded that herbal extracts have a beneficial effect on
pork health-promoting properties due to changes in lipid fraction.
Keywords
- plant extracts;
- fattening pigs;
- meat quality;
- oxidative stability
Copyright © 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
