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Oats (Avena sativa L.) are not a major feed grain for swine diets, but they can be used effectively with some limitations. The cereal is highly palatable to all classes and ages of swine, but the low energy content regardless other cereal grains make it to be less chosen in swine production. On the other hand, oat is a source of many compounds that exhibit antioxidant activity such as vitamin E (tocols), phytic acid, phenolic compounds and avenanthramides. The aim of the experiment was to compare the antioxidative potential of an oat by-product with the effect of vitamin E on the oxidative stability of pork from pigs fed a diet enriched with linseed oil. Thirty-four crossbreed barrows were fed individually from 39 to 109 kg body weight (BW) on one of four diets: a control diet based on barley-triticale-soybean (Diet C), a diet containing an oat byproduct (Diet O), and the same diets supplemented with vitamin E (100 mg/kg diet) (Diets CE and OE, respectively). The oat by-product, comprising oat hulls and bran, was included at 10 and 20% in the grower and finisher diets, respectively. Refined rapeseed oil was added to the diets O and OE to equalise their energy content to diets C and CE.
Compared to diets C and CE, the inclusion of the oat by-product in diets O and OE increased the antioxidative capacity of water-soluble and lipid soluble compounds in these diets. Dietary treatment did not influence growth performance, slaughter value, longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle quality measured by nutrient contents, pH, drip loss or colour. Vitamin E supplementation increased the alpha-tocopherol concentration in serum and meat (P < 0.01), and decreased the formation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in the fresh and stored LD (P < 0.01). In addition, diets with the oat by-product increased serum alpha-tocopherol concentration (P < 0.01) and decreased the TBARS levels in the fresh and stored LD (P < 0.05), without increasing muscle alpha-tocopherol concentration.
The obtained results indicate that the phenolic compounds present in oat by-products have a considerable antioxidant potential and a beneficial effect on the pig organism and oxidative stability of meat. However, dietary inclusion with the oat by-product was not as efficient as supplementation with vitamin E.
W Sobotka, M Flis, Z Antoszkiewicz, K Lipiski, Z Zduczyk. Effect of oat by-product antioxidants and vitamin E on the oxidative stability of pork from pigs fed diets supplemented with linseed oil. 2012. Archives of Animal Nutrition, 66(1):27-38.