Effects of wheat supplementation levels on growth performance, blood profiles, nutrient digestibility, and pork quality in growing-finishing pigs.
OBJECTIVE
This study was conducted to evaluate various wheat supplementation levels on growth performance, blood profiles, nutrient digestibility, and pork quality in growing-finishing pigs.


METHODS
A total of 120 growing pigs ([Yorkshire×Landrace]×Duroc), with an average 27.75± 1.319 kg body weight, were used in growth trial. Pigs were allotted into each treatment by body weight and sex in 4 replicates with 6 pigs per pen in a randomized complete block design. Four-phase feeding programs were used in this experiment. The treatments included the following: i) corn-soybean meal (SBM) - based diet (CON), ii) corn-SBM - based diet+15% of wheat (W15), iii) corn-SBM - based diet+30% of wheat (W30), iv) corn-SBM - based diet+45% of wheat (W45), and 5) corn-SBM-based diet+60% of wheat (W60).


RESULTS
There was no significant difference in growth performance among the dietary treatments. However, the gain-to-feed (G:F) ratio tended to increase (quadratic, p<0.08) when the pigs were fed a higher wheat diet during the finishing period. The digestibility of crude ash and fat tended to decrease as the wheat supplementation level increased (p<0.08). The proximate analysis of the longissimus muscle was not affected by the dietary level of wheat. The crude ash content in pork was decreased linearly as the wheat supplementation level increased (p = 0.05). There was no significant difference in the pH level, shear force, water holding capacity, and cooking loss of the pork. In pork and fat, L*, a*, and b* values were not significantly different among dietary treatments.


CONCLUSIONS
Wheat can be supplemented up to 60% in a growing-finishing pig without detrimental effects on growth and pork quality. The G:F ratio tended to improve in the finishing period by wheat inclusion.
School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea.
Tae Hee
TH
Han
School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea.
Jin Su
JS
Hong
School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea.
Lin Hu
LH
Fang
School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea.
Sung Ho
SH
Do
School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea.
Byung Ock
BO
Kim
School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea.
Yoo Yong
YY
Kim
Blood Profile; Growing-finishing Pigs; Growth Performance; Nutrient Digestibility; Wheat