The influence of the factor of the method of hybrid pigs feeding while growing on the meat quality

In this article have been presented results of the analysis of the influence of the method of feeding pigs during growing-finishing on the quality of meat when fattening to live weight 100, 110 and 120 kg, in terms of the combined use of feed of different humidity during rearing and fattening. The pig meat of commercial hybrid (Y×L)× “MaxGrow” was characterized by a low level of water-holding capacity, regardless of the live weight of animals at slaughter and feeding methods, which is negatively associated with the loss of free moisture during further storage and processing of meat raw materials. According to the color of the meat no significant difference was found between the groups, but the meat of pigs, live weight 110 and 120 kg little compared to the darker coloration on a scale of “Pork Quality Standards”. Animals that consumed wetter feed during the full cycle of growing-finishing and fattening were superior to their counterparts in the content of intramuscular fat (P ≤ 0.01). With the increase in live weight of animals, the fat content in the meat of pigs which used a liquid type of feeding during rearing increased. The difference in fat content was especially pronounced between animals that consumed on growing-finishing dry and liquid feed when slaughtering them with a live weight 120 kg. The effect of the combination of feeding method for these groups was η² = 39.3% (P ≤ 0.01). Two-factor analysis showed the effect of both factors – the feeding method η² = 15.2% (P ≤ 0.001) and live weight η² = 20.1% (P ≤ 0.01), on the level of intramuscular fat in pigs. Factors of feeding (η² = 26.2%) and live weight (η² = 18.7%) had a reliable effect (P ≤ 0.001) on the energy value of pork meat in the studied genotype. Feeding young animals moistened with multiphase method, followed by fattening with liquid feed contributed to the formation of a certain mode of consumption and mechanism of assimilation of nutrients in piglets, which led to a more intensive accumulation of intramuscular fat.