Table 6.
Effects of feeding frequency on carcass quality and carcass composition in growing–finishing pigs.
| Items | FA | M3 | SEM | p-Values |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slaughter weight, kg | 117.1 | 118.0 | 0.356 | 0.109 |
| Hot carcass weight, kg | 88.28 | 85.14 | 0.351 | <0.001 |
| Dressing percentage, % | 75.37 | 72.15 | 0.123 | <0.001 |
| Mean backfat thickness, mm | 24.99 | 22.10 | 0.290 | <0.001 |
| Carcass composition, % | ||||
| Backfat | 8.230 | 7.630 | 0.071 | <0.001 |
| Belly | 13.60 | 12.80 | 0.201 | 0.007 |
| Ham | 22.04 | 23.11 | 0.277 | 0.016 |
| Shoulder | 24.88 | 25.45 | 0.255 | 0.134 |
| Loin | 27.15 | 27.95 | 0.288 | 0.069 |
| Longissimus muscle | 5.110 | 5.200 | 0.283 | 0.032 |
| Fatty pieces | 21.84 | 20.35 | 0.156 | <0.001 |
| Lean pieces | 74.06 | 76.51 | 0.363 | <0.001 |
Note: FA, pigs had free access to feed; M3, pigs were given three meals per day (06:00, 14:00, and 22:00 h); SEM, Standard error of means.