Dietary inclusion of tomato pomace improves meat oxidative stability of young pigs

The aim of this study was to assess the nutritional effect of tomato pomace, in combination with two distinct fat sources (lard or soya bean oil), on longissimus lumborum muscle, subcutaneous fat and liver of young pigs. Forty male pigs of 4 weeks old were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments using two fibre sources (wheat bran or 5.0% tomato pomace) and two fat sources (lard or soya bean oil), in a 2 × 2 factorial design for a 5-week trial. Tomato pomace did not improve colour, fatty acid profile, cholesterol content or lipid oxidation, nor did it yield detectable levels in lycopene or β-carotene in the meat (p > 0.05). However, a positive increase in α-tocopherol content of meat and liver was observed in pigs fed tomato pomace (p < 0.05). Compared with lard, soya bean oil increased MUFA and PUFA proportions and decreased the percentage of SFA (p < 0.05). Our results indicate that 5.0% of tomato pomace increases pork oxidative stability and that 5.0% of soya bean oil, compared with lard, improves its nutritional quality.