Effects of Dietary <i>Eucommia ulmoides</i> Leaf Extract Supplementation on Growth Performance, Meat Quality, Antioxidant Capacity, and Lipid Metabolism of Finishing Pigs
Mengmeng Han,
Yunju Yin,
Saiming Gong,
Hanjing Shi,
Qilong Li,
Xiao Lian,
Yehui Duan,
Fengna Li,
Qiuping Guo
Affiliations
Mengmeng Han
Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Physiology and Metabolic Process, Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production, Changsha 410125, China
Yunju Yin
Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Physiology and Metabolic Process, Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production, Changsha 410125, China
Saiming Gong
Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Physiology and Metabolic Process, Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production, Changsha 410125, China
Hanjing Shi
Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Physiology and Metabolic Process, Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production, Changsha 410125, China
Qilong Li
Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Physiology and Metabolic Process, Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production, Changsha 410125, China
Xiao Lian
Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Physiology and Metabolic Process, Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production, Changsha 410125, China
Yehui Duan
Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Physiology and Metabolic Process, Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production, Changsha 410125, China
Fengna Li
Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Physiology and Metabolic Process, Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production, Changsha 410125, China
Qiuping Guo
Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Nutritional Physiology and Metabolic Process, Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hunan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Healthy Livestock and Poultry Production, Changsha 410125, China
This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary Eucommia ulmoides leaf extract (ELE) on meat quality, antioxidant capacity, and lipid metabolism in finishing pigs. A total of 240 “Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire” crossbred pigs with an initial weight of 74.70 ± 0.77 kg were randomly assigned to two groups: control group and 0.2% ELE group, with each group containing 10 replicates of 12 pigs per pen (half barrows and half gilts). The data showed dietary 0.2% ELE supplementation did not affect growth performance but tended to reduce the backfat thickness of the finishing pigs (p = 0.07). ELE diets increased pH value (p p = 0.01) and decreased 45 min L* value (p p = 0.01), pressurization loss (p = 0.01), and 24 h drip loss (p longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle, accompanied by an increased (p p = 0.06) and n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio (p = 0.05) compared to controls. In addition, ELE supplementation increased inosine monophosphate (IMP) (p = 0.01), sweet amino acids (AAs) (p p = 0.05) in LD. Meanwhile, increased activity of glutathione peroxidase (p p p p p p p p = 0.06) in serum. Consistently, significant effects of dietary ELE were observed on the relative mRNA expression of lipid metabolism in the backfat and the LD muscle, respectively. ELE attenuated lipogenic processes in backfat, decreasing the relative expression of acetyl-CoA carboxylase and upregulating the relative expression of adipose triacyl glyceride lipase, carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1B, and fatty acid-binding protein 4 (p p p p p p < 0.05). More specifically, lipogenesis appeared to be inhibited in both LD muscle and backfat, with the difference being that lipolysis was enhanced in backfat and inhibited in LD muscle. In conclusion, dietary ELE supplementation can potentially enhance carcass traits, sensory quality, and nutritional value of pork without negatively affecting intramuscular fat content. The underlying mechanism for these positive effects may be linked to the alterations in lipid metabolism and increased antioxidant capacity induced by ELE.
