Authors : Chao Zhang, Jiali Wang, Tianyang Liu and Anshan Shan
Abstract: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with different levels (0, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.2%) of Ligustrum lucidum Extract (LLE) on growth performance and meat quality in pigs. A total of 96 healthy crossbred (Duroc x Landrace x Yorkshire) pigs with an initial body weight of 20±2 kg were randomly assigned to four treatment groups in four replicates of 6 pigs each. The test ended after 7 weeks (101 days), when the average weight of the pigs was 90±2 kg. The results showed that LLE tended to increase the ADG and ADFI and decrease the F/G. The drip loss values in the three treatment groups were reduced by 17.46, 16.51 and 19.38% compared to the control and cooking loss values were reduced by 6.15, 5.01 and 7.16% (p>0.05). The shear force of the 0.2% LLE group was reduced by 15.42% compared with the control group (p<0.05), finishing while those of the 0.1 and 0.05% LLE groups were decreased by 9.16 and 7.77%, respectively (p>0.05). The groups receiving dietary supplementation with LLE exhibited 30.77, 30.77 and 32.39% lower MDA levels (p<0.05) and 4.43, 41.91 and 43.46% higher levels of intramuscular fat. Overall, 0.2% LLE had the most beneficial effects of all doses evaluated.
Chao Zhang, Jiali Wang, Tianyang Liu and Anshan Shan, 2012. The Effects of Ligustrum lucidum Extract on Growth Performance and Meat Quality in Growing-Finishing Pigs. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 11: 3342-3345.