Short-term feeding strategies and pork quality

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Food Science
• Nutritional Biochemistry

Background:

• Pork quality is influenced by pre-slaughter handling and nutrition.
• Magnesium, tryptophan, vitamins E and C are potential supplements to mitigate stress and improve meat quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of short-term supplementation with magnesium acetate alone or in combination with tryptophan, vitamin E, and vitamin C on pork quality.
• To assess the impact of pre-slaughter lairage duration on physiological stress indicators and pork quality.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments involving Pietrain×Yorkshire pigs (n=96 and n=92) were conducted.
• Pigs were supplemented with magnesium acetate or a nutrient combination for 5 days pre-slaughter.
• Animals were subjected to different lairage durations (immediate slaughter vs. 2-hour rest).
• Plasma glucose, lactate, magnesium, drip loss, ultimate pH, and meat color were measured.

Main Results:

• Magnesium supplementation did not increase plasma magnesium levels.
• Omission of lairage increased plasma glucose but did not affect plasma lactate.
• Lairage omission negatively impacted meat color, an effect mitigated by magnesium supplementation.
• Dietary supplements did not improve water-holding capacity or color in non-stressed pigs.

Conclusions:

• Short-term supplementation with magnesium acetate, tryptophan, vitamin E, and vitamin C offers limited benefits for pork quality under routine slaughter conditions.
• Magnesium supplementation may help mitigate negative color changes associated with pre-slaughter stress in pigs.
• Further research is needed to optimize supplementation strategies for specific stress scenarios in pork production.