Effects of Dietary Vitamin E and C on the Quality of Pork

Abstract

Pork quality especially muscle colour is what most consumers look for. The use of a hormone-like group of synthetic chemical substances to improve muscle colour is known to be detrimental to health. This study showed that adding vitamin E 200 ppm (T2) compared with control (T1) in 40–100 kg pigs’ diets gave back fat deposit in castrated males higher than in females 1.89 cm (p < 0.05). It was similar by adding vitamin E 100 ppm plus vitamin C 500 ppm (T3) compared with control (T1) in 40–100 kg pigs’ diets gives back fat deposit in castrated males higher than in females 1.44 cm (p < 0.05). T2 tended to gave a higher percentage of muscle in carcasses at Hunter ‘a’ value > 5 and > 6 were 92.31% and 69.23% respectively. Whereas T3 tended to give a higher percentage of muscle in carcasses at the same Hunter ‘a’ value were 100% and 92.31% compared with T1 at Hunter ‘a’ value > 5 and > 6 were 91.66% and 66.66%. At the same time the percentage of pigs in T2 and T3 tended to give drip loss under 3.5% which is higher than T1. That was 53.85%, 46.15% compared with 41.66%, respectively. The pH value in T2 and T3 was not altered. Furthermore, the trend towards higher ADG was shown as 0.614, 0.639 and 0.629 kg/d and the trend of lower FCR was 3.206, 3.127, 3.16 in T1, T2,and T3, respectively