• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.28 no.12
• /
• pp.1696-1702
• /
• 2015

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of body weight growth adjustment methods on genetic parameters of body growth and tissue among three pig breeds. Data collected on 101,820 Landrace, 281,411 Yorkshire, and 78,068 Duroc pigs, born in Korean swine breeder farms since 2000, were analyzed. Records included body weights on test day and amplitude (A)-mode ultrasound carcass measures of backfat thickness (BF), eye muscle area (EMA), and retail cut percentage (RCP). Days to 90 kg body weight (DAYS90), through an adjustment of the age based on the body weight at the test day, were obtained. Ultrasound measures were also pre-adjusted (ABF, EMA, AEMA, ARCP) based on their test day measures. The (co)variance components were obtained with 3 multi-trait animal models using the REMLF90 software package. Model I included DAYS90 and ultrasound traits, whereas model II and III accounted DAYS90 and pre-adjusted ultrasound traits. Fixed factors were sex (sex) and contemporary groups (herd-year-month of birth) for all traits among the models. Additionally, model I and II considered a linear covariate of final weight on the ultrasound measure traits. Heritability ($h^2$) estimates for DAYS90, BF, EMA, and RCP ranged from 0.36 to 0.42, 0.34 to 0.43, 0.20 to 0.22, and 0.39 to 0.45, respectively, among the models. The $h^2$ estimates of DAYS90 from model II and III were also somewhat similar. The $h^2$ for ABF, AEMA, and ARCP were 0.35 to 0.44, 0.20 to 0.25, and 0.41 to 0.46, respectively. Our heritability estimates varied mostly among the breeds. The genetic correlations ($r_G$) were moderately negative between DAYS90 and BF (-0.29 to -0.38), and between DAYS90 and EMA (-0.16 to -0.26). BF had strong $r_G$ with RCP (-0.87 to -0.93). Moderately positive $r_G$ existed between DAYS90 and RCP (0.20 to 0.28) and between EMA and RCP (0.35 to 0.44) among the breeds. For DAYS90, model II and III, its correlations with ABF, AEMA, and ARCP were mostly low or negligible except the $r_G$ between DAYS90 and AEMA from model III (0.27 to 0.30). The $r_G$ between AEMA and ABF and between AEMA and ARCP were moderate but with negative and positive signs, respectively; also reflected influence of pre-adjustments. However, the $r_G$ between BF and RCP remained non-influential to trait pre-adjustments or covariable fits. Therefore, we conclude that ultrasound measures taken at a body weight of about 90 kg as the test final should be adjusted for body weight growth. Our adjustment formulas, particularly those for BF and EMA, should be revised further to accommodate the added variation due to different performance testing endpoints with regard to differential growth in body composition.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.52 no.2
• /
• pp.103-110
• /
• 2010

This study was conducted to determine the effect of supplemental medicinal plants (Artemisia, Acanthopanx and Garlic) on productive parameters in pigs. In experiment 1, a total of 90 multiparous sows were used in a 21-d performance study. The diets included: 1) CON (basal diet; Control), 2) BM1 (CON + 0.1% medicinal plants) and 3) BM2 (CON + 0.2% medicinal plants). Backfat thickness from farrowing to weaning was higher (P<0.05) in CON compared with sows fed treatments diets. The piglets weight gain was higher in the medicinal plants treatments (P<0.05). ADFI, nutrient digestibility and survivability were not affected by the experimental treatments. In experiment 2, a total of 60 finishing pigs (Landrace ${\times}$ Yorkshire ${\times}$ Duroc, $65.21\;{\pm}\;0.04\;kg$ average initial body weight) were used in a 56-d performance assay to determine the effects of supplemental medicinal plants (Artemisia, Acanthopanx and Garlic) on growth performance and carcass characteristics in finishing pigs. The dietary treatments included: 1) CON (basal diet ; Control), 2) BM1 (CON + 0.1% medicinal plants) and 3) BM2 (CON + 0.2% medicinal plants). For 4~8 weeks and overall period, ADG was higher (P<0.05) in the pigs fed medicinal plants. CON treatment was higher 24 pH loin and cooking loss than BM1 treatment (P<0.05). Water holding capacity and drip loss after 1day were affected by the dietary treatments (P<0.05). No numerical differences were observed in sensory evaluation, meat color, TBARS and loin area among three treatments. In conclusion, the results obtained from this feeding trial suggest that the medicinal plants mixture supplementation in diets for finishing pigs can improve ADG, water holding capacity, cooking loss and it improved backfat loss in sow and, litter weight gain.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.52 no.1
• /
• pp.23-28
• /
• 2010

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of probiotics supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, fecal concentrations of Lactobacillus and Escherichia coli, emission of noxious gases from the feces, and circulating concentrations of the blood cells in early-finishing pigs. A total of sixty pigs [(Landrace ${\times}$ Yorkshire) ${\times}$ Duroc] (initial body weight 56.48 ${\pm}$ 1.66 kg) were used for the 28 days feeding trial. Dietary treatments included 1) CON (basal diet), 2) P1 (CON + 0.1% Agariemycetes) and 3) P2 (CON + 0.2% Agariemycetes). There were three dietary treatments with five replicate pens per treatment and four pigs per pen. There was no significant difference in ADG (average dairy gain) among the treatments (P>0.05). The gain/feed ratio was higher in P2 than CON (P<0.05). The P2 showed the highest digestibility of dry matter and energy (P<0.05). No significant difference was observed in the fecal Lactobacillus counts but fecal Escherichia coli population of P2 was lower than that of CON (P<0.05). The ammonia, $H_2S$ and total mercaptan was higher in P1 and P2 than CON (P<0.05). Blood characteristics were not affected by probiotics (P>0.05) supplementation. In conclusion, the results showed that dietary supplementation of probiotics at 0.2% level affected gain/feed ratio, dry matter and energy digestibility; reduced fecal Escherichia coli and emission of fecal noxious gases in finishing pigs.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
• /
• v.33 no.7
• /
• pp.1206-1211
• /
• 2004

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of selenium binding yeast peptide supplementation on growth performance, tissue Se, serum glutathione peroxidase activity and meat quality in finishing pigs. A total of eighty (Duroc${\times}$Yorkshir${\times}$Landrace) pigs (82.88$\pm$1.23 kg average initial body weight) were used in a 35-day assay. Dietary treatments included 1) CON (basal diet), 2) SY1 (CON diet＋0.05％ selenium binding yeast peptide), 3) SY2 (CON diet＋0.l％ selenium binding yeast peptide) and 4) SY3 (CON diet＋0.2％ selenium binding yeast peptide). Overall period, average daily gain of pigs fed selenium binding yeast peptide diet was higher than that of pigs fed CON diet, however, there was not significant difference (p＞0.05). L＊ (lightness) value of M. longissimus dorsi was higher in SY2 than CON and SY3 (p＜0.05). a＊ (redness) value of M. longissimus dorsi was lower in CON than other treatments (p＜0.05). Selenium content in serum was increased as adding selenium binding yeast peptide compared to pigs fed CON diet. However, there was not significantly different among the treatments (p＞0.05). Selenium content of M. longissimus dorsi was higher in SY2 (0.021 $\mu$g/g) and SY3 (0.031 $\mu$g/g) than CON diet (0.008 $\mu$g/g) (p＜0.05). Selenium content of kidney was increased in SY2 I and SY3 compared to pigs fed CON and SY1 (p＜0.05). Selenium content of liver was higher in SY1 than CON (p＜0.05). In conclusion, it is suggested that selenium content could be accumulated in M. longissimus dorsi, kidney and liver by selenium binding yeast peptide supplementation, and meat color of M. longissimus dorsi could be affected by selenium binding yeast peptide supplementation.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.229-237
• /
• 2009

This study was conducted to compare the quality of the pork from finishing pigs that were fed diets containing different levels of methyl sulfonyl methane (MSM). A total of 135 crossbred pigs $(Landrace{\times}Yorkshire{\times}Duroc)$ were fed either with a control commercial diet or the control diet supplemented with 300- and 500-ppm MSM for 158d. The pigs were slaughtered at approximately 110kg live weight and were transported to the local slaughterhouse for electrical stunning followed by exsanguination. After the slaughter, the pork muscles were dissected from each carcass, placed in wrap package bags, and stored for 8d at $4^{\circ}C$. The TEARS values of the pigs that were fed MSM diets were significantly lower (p<0.05) compared with those of the pigs that were fed with non-supplemented diets. The Na, Mg, and Ca contents of the dietary MSM were significantly lower (p<0.05) than those of the non-supplemented diets, but the Fe, Cu, and Zn contents of the dietary MSM were significantly higher (p<0.05) than those of the non-supplemented diets, and the increased level of MSM supplementation resulted in higher sulfur contents. There was no difference among the diets in terms of amino acid content. The dietary supplementation with MSM, however, led to increased saturated fatty acid and decreased unsaturated fatty acid (%) in the pork muscles (p<0.05). The sensory panelists recorded greater marbling and overall acceptability scores in the samples with 500-ppm-MSM dietary supplementation (p<0.05). These data suggest that supplementing pig diets with MSM can improve the quality of the pork and can enhance the eating quality because the sensory panels found that the pork from pigs that were fed an MSM-supplemented diet had better sensory characteristics.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.51 no.2
• /
• pp.135-142
• /
• 2009

The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of slaughter weight (SW) of finishing pigs fed a low-energy diet on growth efficiency and carcass quality and thereby to assess the optimal SW. (Yorkshire $\times$ Landrace) $\times$ Duroc-crossbred gilts and barrows were fed a diet containing 3,060 kcal DE/kg from 80-kg BW and slaughtered at 110, 125, or 135 kg, after which the belly, the most preferred cut in Korea, as well as the least preferred cuts ham and loin were subjected to physicochemical and sensory analyses. Both ADG and ADFI were greater (P<0.05) in the group slaughtered at 125 or 135 kg than in the 110-kg-SW group, whereas the opposite was true for gain:feed (P<0.01). Backfat thickness (BFT), which increased with increasing SW (P<0.01 and P<0.05), was greater in barrows than in gilts (P<0.01); BFT of barrows at 125 kg (24.6 mm) was comparable to that of gilts at 135 kg (24.2 mm). Physicochemical characteristics of the belly, ham and loin were minimally affected, if not affected, by SW; of note, however, the redness of the ham increased between 110- and 125-kg SW (P<0.05). In sensory evaluation of the belly, the fat:lean balance, which is a most important quality trait in this cut, was best (P<0.05) at 125 kg of SW, but the overall acceptability of this cut was not changed by SW. In the ham and loin, the marbling score increased (P<0.01) between 110- and 125-kg SW, whereas color, aroma, off-flavor, and drip were unaffected by SW. In addition, the acceptability of the loin increased (P<0.05) between 110- and 125-kg SW. In cooked meats, none of color, aroma, off-flavor, juiciness, tenderness, taste, and acceptability was changed by SW, except for an increase (P<0.05) in darkness of loin color between 110- and 125-kg SW. In conclusion, the optimal SW for the present subpopulation on the present low-energy diet lie in between 125 and 135 kg for gilts and at 125 kg for barrows.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.53 no.4
• /
• pp.333-339
• /
• 2011

The present study was performed to investigate the effects of pre- and post-weaning feeding programs on growth of pigs. A total of 24 litters (avg. 10.6 piglets/litter) born from multiparous (Yorkshire ${\times}$ Landrace) dams ${\times}$ Duroc sires were provided with neither creep feed (CF) nor milk replacer ("CON"), 200 gm CF/litter/d from the 15th day of lactation ("MIN"), or CF and milk replacer ad libitum for 7 h during the daytime from the 7th day ("MAX") through weaning at d 21 of age. Sixty-eight weanling pigs selected randomly from each of CON and MIN were provided with phases 1, 2 and 3 nursery diets for 7, 14, and 13 days, respectively, in two pens; an equal number of piglets from MAX received the same diets for 6, 10, and 18 days, respectively. Subsequently, all pigs were fed grower 1 and 2 diets sequentially up to d 95 and 135, respectively. The entire pre- and post-weaning feeding trial was repeated three times under a split-plot design of experiment. Initial and final weights and ADG of the suckling pigs did not differ between MAX/MIN and CON. However, final wt of MAX adjusted for initial wt, which was 0.17-kg less in MAX than in CON, was greater than that of CON by 0.31kg, whereas the difference between MIN and CON in final wt barely changed after the adjustment. Growth of the animals during the nursery and growing phases was not affected by the feeding program, whereas d 55 and 135 BW, as well as d 6 BW, were highly correlated with weaning weight (r=0.81, 0.57, and 0.76; P<0.001, <0.05, and <0.001, respectively). In conclusion, results suggest that provision of creep feed and milk replacer from early lactation may be effective for increasing weight gain of light piglets, but that limited provision of creep feed during late lactation or extension of the duration of phases 1 and 2 vs. 3 nursery diets for several days is unlikely to influence the growth of pigs during the corresponding and subsequent periods.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.50 no.4
• /
• pp.499-508
• /
• 2008

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of bio-starch from corn processing to replace dried whey in weaned pigs. A total of 120 crossbred [(Landrace×Yorkshire)×Duroc] pigs were weaned at 21 days of age weighing 6.01±0.34 kg in average. Five week feeding trial consisted of phase 1(0~2 wks) and phase 2(3~5 wks). Dietary treatments included 1) CON(basal diet), 2) BS5(whey 5%, partial substitution of bio-starch), 3) BS10(whey 10%, partial substitution of bio-starch) and 4) BS15(whey 15%, partial substitution of bio-starch). There were four dietary treatments with six replicate pens per treatment and five pigs per pen. During the overall period, there were no significant differences in the ADG(average daily gain) and gain/feed ratio among the treatments(P>0.05). However, the ADFI(average daily feed intake) was higher in BS5 and BS15 treatments than in CON treatment(P<0.05). At the 2nd week, dry matter and nitrogen digestibility were increased(quadratic effect, P=0.03 and P=0.01, respectively; cubic effect, P<0.001 and P=0.01, respectively) with the highest at 10% of bio-starch inclusion in the diets. At the last week of the experiment, dry matter, nitrogen and energy digestibility were increased(P<0.05) with the highest at 5% of bio-starch inclusion in the diets. At the 2nd week total protein concentration was increased(linear effect, P=0.04; cubic effect, P=0.01) with the highest at 10% of bio-starch inclusion in the diets. Also, BUN(blood urea nitrogen) was increased(linear effect, P=0.01) as the level of bio-starch inclusion increased in the diets. Fecal consistency score was inclined to lowers CON treatment than other treatments. In conclusion, the result of trial indicates that bio-starch can be included at the level of 5~10% of weaning pig diet replacing part of the dried-whey, and digestibilities were positively affected by bio-starch at growth stage.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.20-25
• /
• 2005

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Zizyphus vulgaris supplementation on growth performance, blood cortisol and meat quality characteristics in finishing pigs. The total of thirty-six [Duroc${\times}$Yorkshir${\times}$Landrace] pigs ($91{\pm}2.11$ kg average initial body weight) were used in a 30-days assay. Dietary treatments included 1) CON (basal diet), 2) T1 (basal diet for 15 days and 0.1 % Zizyphus vulgaris for 15 days) and 3) T2 (0.1 % Zizyphus vulgaris for 30 days). The ADG (Average daily gain), ADFI (Average daily feed intake) and ADG/ADFI during the feeding period were not significantly differences among the treatments (p>0.05). Backfat thickness of pigs fed CON was higher than those of T1 and T2 (p<0.05). The appearance rate of A or B carcass grade was in T1 (74%) and T2 (84%) was significantly higher than that in CON (58%) (p<0.05). Pigs fed Zizyphus vulgaris 0.1 % for 30 days tended to decrease on blood cortisol compared with pigs fed CON and T1. But, there was not significantly difference among the treatments (p>0.05). The Hunter's L/sup */ (lightness) value of loin in the pork fed CON was higher than that of loin in the pork fed T1 and T2 (p<0.05). After 7 days, the L/sup */ value of loin in the pigs fed T2 was higher increased than that of pigs fed T1 and CON (p<0.05). However, a/sup */ and b/sup */ values were not affected by dietary Zizyphus vulgaris (p>0.05). There were not found remarkable differences in sensory properties (marbling, firmness and color) among the treatments. The results from the present study suggest that Zizyphus vulgaris could be a effective feed additive to improve meat quality of pigs. However, further research is needed to investigate effects of carcass characteristics.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
• /
• v.49 no.4
• /
• pp.471-480
• /
• 2007

The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of a low-energy finisher diet on feed and growth efficiencies and carcass traits of ‘high’-market weight (MW) finishing pigs and thereby to extrapolate optimal dietary energy level for the high-MW swine. A total of 160 (Yorkshire × Landrace) × Duroc-crossbred finishing gilts and barrows weighing approximately 90 kg were fed a low-energy (3,200 kcal DE/kg) diet (LE) or control (3,400 kcal) diet (CON) ad libitum in 16 pens up to 135- and 125-kg live weights, respectively, at which the animals were slaughtered and their carcasses were analyzed [2 (sex) × 2 (diet) factorial experimental design]. Average daily gain, average daily feed intake and feed efficiency did not differ between the two sex or diet groups. Backfat thickness was less (P<0.05) in LE (22.4 mm) than in CON group (24.3 mm) in gilts, but not in barrows (24.4 ± 0.4 mm). The percentage of C- & D-grade carcasses was over 90% because of the ‘over-weight’ problem in gilts, whereas in barrows, percentages of A plus B grades and C plus D grades were 79% and 21%, respectively. The yield percentage of each trimmed primal cut per total trimmed cuts (w/w) did not differ between the two sex or diet groups. Physicochemical characteristics of longissimus muscle including color (lightness and redness), pH, drip loss and chemical composition, which overally were within the range of normal carcass, also did not differ between the two sex or diet groups. In conclusion, both LE and CON are judged to be adequate for the high-MW swine during the latter finishing period. If fat deposition of a given herd of high-MW pigs needs to be suppressed by a dietary treatment, the energy content of the diet will have to be reduced to a level lower than 3,200 kcal DE/kg.