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Low birth weight piglets typically experience slower and less efficient growth compared to their normal birth weight littermates. As a result, low birth weight piglets require an extended growth period to reach equivalent slaughter weights as normal birth weight piglets. Additionally, low birth weight piglets generally exhibit a lower lean carcass percentage than normal birth weight piglets upon slaughter. In practical terms, low birth weight piglets are typically raised through fostering or individual feeding from birth to slaughter. This practice may result in carcasses with higher fat content and increased intramuscular fat compared to normal birth weight. Observations have indicated that low birth weight piglets fed a high-fat diet are prone to developing insulin resistance. The inclusion of dairy products in the diet of low birth weight piglets may offer a potential solution to mitigate the metabolic consequences associated with insulin resistance in piglets. This study investigated how birth weight differences in piglets affected carcass and muscle fiber properties as well as meat quality at slaughter.
Methods: Within litters, piglets were grouped according to their birth weight as either normal (1.62–1.73 kg) or low (1.18–1.29 kg). At 5 weeks of age, normal birth weight piglets were randomly transitioned to control or isocaloric high fat diets derived from non-dairy, while low birth weight piglets were randomly transitioned to high fat diets derived from non-dairy or dairy sources. Piglets were reared in individual pens under standardized housing and feeding conditions. Live weight was recorded weekly, and pigs were slaughtered at 12 weeks of age.
Results: Results indicated that low birth weight pigs compensated for their live weight compared to normal birth weight pigs at 6 weeks of age. The mean muscle fiber diameter of the low birth weight dairy group was significantly higher than the normal birth weight control and normal birth weight non-dairy group, and the type I muscle fiber diameter was significantly higher than the normal birth weight control group. Dairy fat inclusion in low birth weight pig diet reduced carcass back fat thickness. This increased the calculated lean meat yield to be comparable to that of normal birth weight pigs fed a commercial diet.
Conclusion: Incorporating dairy-sourced high-fat into low birth weight pigs’ diets appears to be an effective strategy for producing carcasses equivalent to normal birth weight pigs.
Roy BC, Coleman P, Markowsky M, Wang K, She Y, Richard C, Proctor SD, Bruce, HL. Muscle fiber, connective tissue and meat quality characteristics of pork from low birth weight pigs as affected by diet-induced increased fat absorption and preferential muscle marbling. Food Science of Animal Resources. 2024; 44(1): 51. https://doi.org/10.5851/kosfa.2023.e56