Effect of dietary phytic acid and inorganic iron on the quality of chilled pork.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementing inorganic iron and phytic acid to the diet for finishing pigs on meat quality after 24 hours and 7 days of refrigeration. Forty castrated male finishing pigs of a commercial genotype, with an initial mean weight of 64.34 ± 6.64 kg and age of 108 days, were used. The animals were weighed and housed individually in brick pens with an area of three m2 and compact floor, receiving water and ration ad libitum for 30 days. A randomized block design in a 2 x 2 factorial scheme was used, corresponding to diets supplemented or not with inorganic iron and with two levels of phytic acid, high (4.85%) and low (2.98%). The animals were slaughtered when they had reached a mean weight of 100.76 ± 6.54 kg and longissimus dorsi muscle samples were collected for the analysis of meat quality. The following parameters were analyzed in the samples: pH, color, marbling, water loss through pressure, shear force, iron composition, and lipid oxidation. No differences in the variables analyzed were observed between factors, except for muscle iron concentration, which was higher for the diet with inclusion of inorganic iron. Lipid oxidation was not influenced by the presence or absence of phytic acid and inorganic iron. The results show that diets with elevated phytic acid levels supplemented or not with inorganic iron can be used for finishing pigs without compromising meat quality during the refrigeration phase.

Keywords

• antioxidante natural
• farelo de gérmen de milho desengordurado
• mineral
• oxidação lipídica
• terminação.