Increased Sow Nutrition During Mid-gestation Affects Muscle Fiber Development and Meat Quality with no Consequences on Growth Performance

November 3, 2008 — 

Pregnant sow nutrition has potential effects on the progeny muscle fibers development in utero. A total of 199 Landrace x Large White sows from parities 0 to 6 and their offspring were used to evaluate the effects of increasing feeding level during mid-pregnancy on muscle tissue, growth performance and meat quality of the progeny. The experiment was divided into 2 study replicates and in each replicate sows were assigned to 1 of the 2 treatments: 1) control group (C-sows) was fed 2.5 to 3.0 kg/d (feed: 12.1 MJ ME/kg and 0.62% lysine) throughout gestation; 2) high group (H-sows) received an extra feed allowance of 1.5 kg/d for gilts and 2.0 kg/d for multiparous sows above the C level from d 45 to 85 of gestation (period of secondary muscle fibers formation). Sow backfat was recorded on d 40 and 85 of gestation. Sow performance (litter size and piglet weight) at farrowing and on d 18 of lactation was measured. At weaning, pigs were divided into 5 weight groups/treatment and progeny growth performance was measured during the nursery (n = 958) and the growing-finishing (n = 636) periods. At slaughter, carcass and meat quality traits (lean content, main cut weight, pH, Minolta color and drip loss) were recorded from the second lightest group at weaning (weight group 4; n = 90) and samples from the Longissimus thoracis muscle were taken to study muscle fiber characteristics (n = 70). Extra nutrition from d 45 to d 85 of gestation did not lead to differences in litter size nor in piglet weight at farrowing and on d 18 of lactation. Pigs born from H mothers had fewer muscle fibers and fewer estimated primary and secondary fibers than in C pigs (P < 0.05). However, postnatal growth performance was not consistently affected by the maternal treatment. Fewer muscle fibers found in the H group of pigs was associated with a fewer type IIB fibers (P < 0.05) with greater cross-sectional areas (P < 0.10), which might be connected with the significantly higher meat pH at 24 h postmortem and the lower L* values recorded in the H group of pigs. Results from the present study confirm the existence of effects of maternal nutrition on fetal development at least in terms of muscle tissue development and meat quality, although with no beneficial effects on the postnatal growth performance of the progeny.

Cerisuelo A, Baucells MD, Gasa J, Coma J, Carrión D, Chapinal N, Sala R, Increased sow nutrition during mid-gestation affects muscle fiber development and meat quality with no consequences on growth performance, J Anim Sci. 2008 Oct 24. [Epub ahead of print]