Effect Of Alfalfa Meal And Crude Protein Level On Carcass Characteristics And Meat Quality Of The Finishing Pigs

The experiment was designed to investigate the effect of protein level and diet added alfalfa meal on growth performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality of the finishing pigs, so as to offer theoretical basis for alfalfa meal applying in diet to produce high quality pork.In this trial, a total of 64 Duroc× Yorkshire×Landrace (DYL) pigs were used in sixteen groups, each treatment with two replicates, each replicate with 4 pigs. The difference between treatments is the protein level of diet and added or not added alfalfa meal in diet. The whole feeding trial was lasted 58 days. The results showed that: (1)As the protein level of diet was increased, the average day gain increased. Significant effect was observed (p<0.05) between 10.2% protein treatment and 14.7% protein treatment. No significant effect (p>0.05) was observed in both diet added alfalfa meal and diet without alfalfa meal in average day gain. No significant effect (p>0.05) was observed in feed:gain, the feed:gain decreased first then increased, which of the diet added alfalfa meal was lower than the control, but no significant effect (p >0.05) was observed. (2) As the protein level of diet increased, the backfat thickness, loin eye area, lean meat and slaughter percentage increased. Significant effect(p<0.05) was observed in loin eye area between 10.2% protein level and 14.7% protein level, but no significant effect (p>0.05) was observed among other treatments. Extremely significant effect (p<0.01) was observed in net growth of lean. At the same protein level, the diet added alfalfa meal could reduce backfat thickness, increase slaughter percentage, loin eye area and growth of lean, but no significant effect (p>0.05) was observed among treatments. (3) No significant effect was observed in PH, drop loss, cooked meat percentage and meat color. Significant effect (p>0.05)was observed in marbling between 10.2%treatmentand 11.7%, 13.2%, 14.7% treatment, between 11.7% treatment and 14.7%treatment in the diet without alfalfa meal. Significant effect (p>0.05) was also observed in marbling between 10.2%, 11.7% treatments and 13.2%, 14.7% treatments. In the same protein level of diets, No significant effect was observed in PH, drop loss, cooked meat percentage and meat color between the...