Different Dietary Protein and PUFA Interventions Alter the Fatty Acid Concentrations, but Not the Meat Quality, of Porcine Muscle.docVIP

Nutrients 2012, 4, 1237-1246; doi:10.3390/nu4091237 OPEN ACCESS nutrients ISSN 2072-6643 /journal/nutrients Article Different Dietary Protein and PUFA Interventions Alter the Fatty Acid Concentrations, but Not the Meat Quality, of Porcine Muscle Dirk Dannenberger 1,*, Karin Nuernberg 1, Gerd Nuernberg 1 and Antje Priepke 2 1 Research Unit of Muscle Biology and Growth and Genetics and Biometry, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, 18196 Dummerstorf, Germany; E-Mails: knuernbg@fbn-dummerstorf.de (K.N.); gnuernbg@fbn-dummerstorf.de (G.N.) 2 Institute of Animal Production, State Institute for Agriculture and Fishing Research, Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, 18196 Dummerstorf, Germany; E-Mail: a.priepke@lfa.mvnet.de * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: dannenberger@fbn-dummerstorf.de; Tel.: +49-38208-68884; Fax: +49-38208-68852. Received: 6 July 2012; in revised form: 8 August 2012 / Accepted: 28 August 2012 / Published: 5 September 2012 Abstract: The present study investigated the effect of a reduced protein diet in combination with different vegetable oils (sunflower seed oil or linseed oil) on carcass traits, meat quality and fatty acid profile in porcine muscle. Forty male Landrace pigs were allocated into four experimental groups (each n = 8) and one control group (n = 8) at a live weight of approximately 60 kg. The pigs were fed ad libitum from 60 kg to 100 kg live weight and restricted to 2.8 kg/day until they reached 120 kg. In contrast to other studies, the intramuscular fat content (IMF) did not increase in animals of groups fed a reduced protein diet and vegetable oils. The IMF ranged between 1.2% and 1.4%. The growth performance and meat quality of the longissimus muscle was not affected by the diet, but the average daily gain (ADG) and drip loss were affected. The muscle fatty acid concentrations were significantly affec