Dietary Inclusion of Rapeseed Meal as Soybean Meal Substitute on Growth Performance, Gut Microbiota, Oxidative Stability and Fatty Acid Profile in Growing-Fattening Pigs

摘要

Due to the variability of feed cost and in order to maintain the competitiveness of pork products, the pig farmers of the European Union try to maximize the use of locally produced feeds, such as rapeseed meal which is a by-product of the oil and biofuel industries. Dietary rapeseed meal of Greek origin was evaluated as alternative for imported soybean meal on the performance, meat quality parameters and gut microbiota of growing-fattening pigs. A total of 120 pigs were allocated to two equal groups for a period of 90 days. The pigs of the control group (C) were fed with commercial soybean meal based growing and fattening rations. The pigs of the second group were fed with isocaloric and isonitrogenous rapeseed meal based rations. Body weight gain did not differ (p>0.05) during the growing and the fattening periods. Feed conversion ratio did not differ (p>0.05) during the growing period but was higher (p≤0.05) for group R during the fattening period. Some differences (p≤0.05) were found in the meat chemical composition (moisture, crude protein , crude fat) between the two groups. In the steak cuts, group R had higher (p≤0.05) total monounsaturated fatty acid s and lower (p≤0.05) saturated fatty acid s and polyunsaturated fatty acid s, compared to group C. No differences (p>0.05) were found on the ham and steak meat lipid oxidative stability after 4 days or 7 days of refrigerated storage (4°C). Group R had higher (p≤0.05) Lactobacillus spp. in the caecum and lower (p≤0.05), Clostridium perfringens in the mid-colon.