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Conjugated linoleic acid, n-3 fatty acids, vegetable proteins, and herbs are added in animal diets as feed additive to improve the quality and nutritional value of meat. However, much attention has been paid on intramuscular fat content and fatty acid profiles whereas essential amino acid (EAA) composition of meat has been neglected. In fact, the content of EAA is an important factor in determining the nutritional value of meat and contributes importantly to the taste properties of meat. A 60-days feeding trial was conducted to determine the effect of dietary supplementation of Lonicera macranthoides leaf (LML) on growth performance, meat quality, and free amino acid profiles in growing-finishing pigs. L. macranthoides leaves were harvested, air-dried and milled to powder. A total of 288 crossbred barrows (Large White × Landrace) with an average initial BW of 54.0 ± 3.4 kg were randomly allocated to 3 treatment groups and fed either a basal diet or a diet supplemented with 0.5% or 1.0% LML powder.
Results showed that diet supplemented with LML powder did not affect average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed: gain ratio in growing-finishing pigs. Moreover, diet supplemented with LML powder showed no significant effects on carcass traits including dressing percentage, backfat thickness and loin muscle area, and meat quality traits including meat colour, intramuscular fat and cooking loss. However, diet supplemented with LML powder significantly improved free amino acid profiles in serum and longissimus thoracis muscle in growing-finishing pigs. Most importantly, dietary LML powder increased total free amino acids content and essential free amino acid content in longissimus thoracis muscle.
These results indicate that LML has the potential to improve the nutritional value of meat through improving free amino acid profiles.
Long, C., Zhou, X., Wang, Q., Xie, C., Li, F., Fana, Z., Zhangb, B, Ruanc, Z., Chend, X, Wua, X. and Yin, Y. (2016). Dietary supplementation of Lonicera macranthoides leaf powder improves amino acid profiles in serum and longissimus thoracis muscle of growing-finishing pigs. Animal Nutrition. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aninu.2016.08.006
