Table 4.
Impact of diet supplemented with betaine or glycine on carcass trait and meat quality of finishing Huan Jiang mini-pigs.
| Item | Control | Glycine | Betaine | SEM | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average backfat thickness, mm | 19.64a | 18.00b | 18.09b | 0.40 | 0.05 |
| Loin eye area, mm2 | 893.60 | 931.81 | 897.70 | 3.65 | 0.78 |
| Lean percentage, % | 38.11b | 40.69a | 40.87a | 0.41 | <0.01 |
| pH45 min | 6.29 | 6.31 | 6.39 | 0.17 | 0.73 |
| pH24 h | 5.46 | 5.48 | 5.34 | 0.12 | 0.13 |
| L∗ (lightness) | 45.16 | 44.57 | 45.14 | 0.44 | 0.76 |
| a∗ (redness) | 15.77b | 16.71a | 16.78a | 0.30 | 0.04 |
| b∗ (yellowness) | 4.71 | 4.35 | 4.42 | 0.20 | 0.12 |
| Water-holding capacity, % | 20.24 | 19.68 | 18.41 | 0.68 | 0.67 |
| Cooking loss, % | 58.34 | 56.93 | 56.73 | 0.43 | 0.12 |
| Shear force, N | 46.77a | 45.08a | 39.37b | 0.74 | 0.01 |
a,b Within a row, values with different superscripts differ significantly at P < 0.05 and a trend toward significance at P < 0.10. Data are expressed as means ± SEM, n = 8.