Table 6. Effect of dietary n-6:n-3 ratio on carcass and meat quality in finishing pigs.
| Control | n-6:n-3 ratio | SEM | p-value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4:1 | 2:1 | ||||
| Carcass characteristics | |||||
| Dressing percentage | 78.09 | 78.29 | 78.47 | 0.48 | 0.862 |
| Backfat thickness (mm) | 23.37 | 23.45 | 23.12 | 0.37 | 0.806 |
| Loin eye area (cm2) | 50.65 | 50.80 | 51.32 | 0.53 | 0.662 |
| Longissimus muscle pH | |||||
| pH45 min (at 45 min post-slaughter) | 6.13 | 6.17 | 6.14 | 0.12 | 0.961 |
| pH24 h (at 24 h post-slaughter) | 5.55 | 5.42 | 5.37 | 0.28 | 0.892 |
| pH48 h (at 48 h post-slaughter) | 5.43 | 5.37 | 5.39 | 0.06 | 0.807 |
| Color parameters | |||||
| Lightness (L*) | 51.91 | 49.39 | 49.65 | 0.70 | 0.082 |
| Redness (a*) | 7.26 | 7.25 | 7.44 | 0.49 | 0.951 |
| Yellowness (b*) | 6.06 | 6.98 | 6.34 | 0.31 | 0.137 |
| Water holding capacity | |||||
| Drip loss (%) | 6.42 | 6.17 | 5.65 | 0.36 | 0.325 |
| Cooking loss (%) | 19.80a | 18.19b | 17.80b | 0.43 | 0.012 |
| Shear force (kg/cm2) | 33.40 | 32.39 | 34.59 | 1.72 | 0.824 |
a,b
Means within a column with different letters are significantly different (p<0.05).