Effects of Ferulic Acid Supplementation on Growth Performance, Carcass Traits and Histochemical Characteristics of Muscle Fibers in Finishing Pigs
Nidia Valenzuela-Grijalva,
Ismael Jiménez-Estrada,
Silvia Mariscal-Tovar,
Kenia López-García,
Araceli Pinelli-Saavedra,
Etna Aida Peña-Ramos,
Adriana Muhlia-Almazán,
Libertad Zamorano-García,
Martín Valenzuela-Melendres,
Humberto González-Ríos
Affiliations
Nidia Valenzuela-Grijalva
Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C (CIAD, A.C.), Hermosillo 83304, Sonora, Mexico
Ismael Jiménez-Estrada
Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, San Pedro Zacatenco, Mexico City 07000, Mexico
Silvia Mariscal-Tovar
Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, San Pedro Zacatenco, Mexico City 07000, Mexico
Kenia López-García
Departamento de Biología Celular y Fisiología, Unidad Periférica Tlaxcala, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Chiautempan 90800, Tlaxcala, Mexico
Araceli Pinelli-Saavedra
Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C (CIAD, A.C.), Hermosillo 83304, Sonora, Mexico
Etna Aida Peña-Ramos
Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C (CIAD, A.C.), Hermosillo 83304, Sonora, Mexico
Adriana Muhlia-Almazán
Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C (CIAD, A.C.), Hermosillo 83304, Sonora, Mexico
Libertad Zamorano-García
Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C (CIAD, A.C.), Hermosillo 83304, Sonora, Mexico
Martín Valenzuela-Melendres
Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C (CIAD, A.C.), Hermosillo 83304, Sonora, Mexico
Humberto González-Ríos
Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, A.C (CIAD, A.C.), Hermosillo 83304, Sonora, Mexico
FA dietary supplementation on the growth performance, carcass traits and histochemical characteristics of the Longissimus thoracis muscle from finishing pigs was investigated. Four hundred and twenty pigs were used in this study, and 105 animals (with five replicate pens and 21 pigs per pen) were assigned to one of four treatments: basal diet (BD) without additives (C−); BD + 10 ppm ractopamine hydrochloride + 0.97% lysine (C+); BD + 25 ppm of FA (FA); and BD + 25 ppm of FA + 0.97% lysine (FA-Lys). Dietary supplementation with FA or ractopamine increased both the average daily gain (14%) and loin muscle area (19%), while fat deposition decreased by 53%, in comparison with C− (p p > 0.05). The histochemical analysis showed that FA and C+ treatments induced a shift in muscle fiber types: from fast fibers to intermediate (alkaline ATPase) and from oxidative to glycolytic fibers. Muscle tissues from animals treated with FA or ractopamine had a lower cross-sectional area and a greater number of muscle fibers per area (p < 0.05). Findings regarding growth performance and carcass traits indicate that FA supplementation at 25 ppm without extra-lysine can replace the use of ractopamine as a growth promoter in finishing pigs.
