Table 5.

The effects of dietary alfalfa supplementation on the pork meat quality.

Feeding stage	Alfalfa addition form	Amount	Main results	References
Weaned pigs reached weights of 100, 125 or 150 lb.	Dehydrated alfalfa meal	Different levels of Alfalfa	Grade and length of carcasses ↑	(66)
Barrows	Alfalfa hay	Free feeding	pH value at 45 min after slaughter ↑; pH value at 24 h after slaughter ↓; Monounsaturated fatty acids of longissimus lumborum muscle ↑; Saturated fatty acids in intramuscular fat of longissimus lumborum muscle ↓; Polyunsaturated fatty acids in the backfat ↑	(67)
Fattening pig	Alfalfa	50%	The percentage of weight gain, slaughter rate, backfat depth in the carcass ↓; The percentage of shoulder, ham and loin in the carcass ↑; The percentage of lean meat ↑	(68)
Growing-fattening pig	Alfalfa	50%	The proportion of lean meat in pork ↑	(69)
Fattening pigs	Alfalfa extract	0.2%	Growth and development ↑; Sensory evaluation scores for ham flavor and consistency ↑	(70)