• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.802-810
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• 2000

A total of 120 finishing crossbred pigs ($Landrace{\times}Large$ $White{\times}Duroc$) with equal numbers of barrows and gilts weighing 58.5 kg body weight were used in a feeding trial, and 6 pigs (three of each sex) were used in a metabolic trial to investigate the effect of phase feeding. Finishing period was divided into two phases and 4 different diets were fed for those periods. Growth performance was not significantly different among treatments within the same sex. This result showed that 16% crude protein for early finishing period and 14% crude protein diet for late finishing period should be optimum. During the early finishing period, only feed intake was significantly different between sexes (p<0.01), but in late finishing period daily weight gain (p<0.001) and feed intake (p<0.01) of barrows were significantly higher than those of gilts. During the early finishing period, digestibilities of dry matter, protein and phosphorus were significantly higher in gilts than in barrows (p<0.05). However, there was no treatment effect within same sex during the early and late finishing period. During early finishing period, excretion of N of pigs fed 16% CP diet in early and 14% CP diet in late-finishing period was less than that of pigs fed 17% CP diet in early and 15% CP diet in late-finishing period (p<0.05), but the difference was not significant. During the late finishing period, N excretion with two phase feeding was reduced by 8.5% compared with single feeding. In gilts, total cost reduction by two phase feeding compared to single feeding was 9.1%, but in barrows it was just 3.19%. Relative margin increased with two phase feeding by 2.5% in gUts and 0.2% in barrows. There was a tendency that backfat thickness at 10th rib of gilts was thinner than that of barrows (p>0.05). Within the same sexes, there was no treatment effect on back fat thickness (p>0.05). Carcass grade was improved by two phase feeding compared to single feeding. Carcass grade of gilts was significantly better than that of barrows (p<0.001). From this results, it is concluded that finishing pigs could be fed two-phase diets to improve profit and reduce pollution.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.1516-1521
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• 2008

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different energy intake on physical and chemical composition in body fractions, growth performance and meat characteristics of finishing barrows and gilts. A total of twenty six crossbred (Landrace$\times$Yorkshire) consisting of 16 barrows and 13 gilts were used in this study. The animals were allocated by sex to two treatments to form a $2\times2$ factorial arrangement. The respective factors were sex (barrow and gilt) and dietary energy intake (1.8 and 3.0 times energy for maintenance). Pigs were kept in individual pens and had ad libitum access to feed and water from the start of the experiment at $52.4{\pm}1.9kg$ until they reached $109.9{\pm}4.4kg$ live weight. The growth performance, physical composition and meat characteristics of finishing pigs were not greatly affected by the sex. However, higher fat tissue weight in the carcass was observed in barrows compared with gilts (p<0.05). Higher proportions of water and protein (p<0.05), and lower lipid proportion (p<0.01) in the empty body and carcass were observed in gilts compared with barrows, while protein proportion in lean tissue was not affected by the sex. In fat tissue, only protein proportion was higher in gilts compared with barrows (p<0.05). Although, growth performance, physical and chemical compositions in body fractions were greatly affected, final body or carcass weight was partly affected by the energy intake In addition, loin characteristics such as shear force and loin eye area were partly influenced by energy intake levels. Therefore, the present results showed that growth performance and meat characteristics were not influenced but chemical body composition was greatly influenced by the sex. Growth performance, physical and chemical compositions in body fractions were greatly affected, whereas meat characteristics were partly affected by the energy intake levels.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.57-72
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• 2005

The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of nutrient density diets and sex on carcass and pork quality characteristics in finishing pigs. A total of 96 pigs(58.04 $\pm$ 6.85 kg) were divided into 2 groups(gilts and barrows), each sex group was assigned to 3 nutrient density(high : 18.5%, middle : 16.0% and low: 14.0% CP, respectively) and raised up to 1l0kg live weight. Each treatment had four replicates with three or five pigs per replicate. The treatments comprised the feeding regimes of 1) the low density diet for 60 days, 2) the middle nutrient density diet for the 30 days followed by a low nutrient density diet for the remaining 30 days and 3) the high nutrient density diet for the 30 days followed by a middle nutrient density diet for the remaining 30 days. Pigs were conventionally slaughtered, and then chilled overnight. Carcass characteristics and grades were determined on those carcasses, and pork loin muscle was removed from each left side at 5th to 13th rib for quality evaluation were evaluated. There were no differences in the carcass weight between sex and nutrient density. Dressing percent of L-L(gilts) treatment was significantly higher than that of other treatments(P< 0.05). Barrows showed a thicker back fat thickness than gilts. There were no difference in intramuscular fat, subcutaneous fat and springiness between sex and nutrient density. Intermuscular fat of barrows groups was significantly higher than the gilts groups(P < 0.05). In the meat quality characteristics, there were no difference in general composition, meat and fat color between sex and nutrient density. pH of L-L(gilts) treatment was significantly higher than that of other treatments(P < 0.05). Cooking loss and shear force value of H-M(barrows) treatment were significantly higher than those of other treatments(P< 0.05). Purge loss of barrows groups was significantly higher than the gilts groups(P < 0.05). Myoglobin content of H-M treatment was significantly lower than L-L and M-L treatments(P< 0.05). Texture of H-M treatment was higher than L-L and M-L treatments. The content of myristic, palmitic, palmitoleic and oleic acid were significantly higher in the barrows groups(P< 0.05). However, stearic, linoleic and arachidonic acid were significantly higher in the gilts(P < 0.05). Amino acid content of L-L treatment was significantly higher than M-L and H-M treatments(P < 0.05). In conclusion, carcass and pork quality characteristics were affected by sex and nutrient density.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.1214-1219
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• 2008

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of supplementing tuna oil to diets of growing-finishing pigs (barrows and gilts) on backfat characteristics when slaughtered at different weights. Four hundred and eighty crossbred (Large White$\times$Landrace$\times$Duroc) pigs averaging 30 kg were allotted to 12 treatment combinations (40 pigs/treatment combination) in a completely randomized design with a $2{\times}2{\times}3$ factorial arrangement of treatments. The treatments were: dietary tuna oil supplementation (0 and 2%); sex (barrows and gilts); and slaughter weight (90, 100 and 110 kg). As pigs reached their slaughter weight, they were randomly selected (8 pigs/treatment combination; 96 pigs in total) and slaughtered. Backfat colour, hardness and fatty acid profile were assessed. There were significant (p<0.05) differences in colour (L* and a* values) among treatments. Backfat of the control group was harder than on the tuna oil (p<0.001) and that of barrows was harder than of gilts (p<0.05). In addition, the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values of fat from the tuna oil group stored for 3 days were higher (p<0.001) than the control group. The TBARS values of gilts tended to be higher than those of barrows and increased with increasing slaughter weight in the tuna oil group. The cholesterol and triglyceride levels were not affected by diet and sex but the triglyceride level increased with increasing slaughter weight (p<0.01). The tuna oil group had higher polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content, ratio of PUFA: saturated fatty acid (SFA) and total n-3 fatty acids but lower monounsaturated fatty acids content and n-6:n-3 fatty acids than the control group (p<0.01). Gilts had higher PUFA and n-6 fatty acids in backfat than barrows (p<0.05). The backfat from both 90 and 100 kg slaughter-weight groups had a lower ratio of n6:n3 fatty acid than the 110 kg slaughter-weight group (p<0.05). However, this was more pronounced in the tuna oil group. The PUFA: SFA was also increased while the n-6:n-3 ratio tended to reach the recommended levels for healthy eating in human beings of <5. However, due to oxidative susceptibility, barrows should not be slaughtered at more than 100 kg for the meat to be acceptable to consumers.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.191-198
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• 2010

A total of 96 non-lean-type (Yorkshire $\times$ Landrace) $\times$ Duroc gilts and barrows weighing approximately 80 kg were randomly allocated to 24 pens under a 2 (sex) $\times$ 3 [diet; 3.4, 3.2, and 3.0 Mcal DE/kg {'high'-, 'medium'-, and 'low'-energy diets (HE, ME, and LE), respectively}] factorial arrangement of treatments. All animals were slaughtered approximately at 115 kg, after which carcass quality traits and grades and physicochemical and sensory characteristics of the loin related to meat quality were analyzed. The ADG and gain:feed were not affected by the sex or dietary treatment, whereas ADFI was greater in the ME vs HE group. Backfat thickness was greater in barrows vs gilts and also in ME and HE vs LE only in barrows. Enumerated carcass marbling and quality grade, which were highly correlated (r=0.56; P<0.01), were greater in barrows vs gilts. Physicochemical characteristics including the color, pH, drip loss and contents of moisture, protein, and fat of fresh loin, as well as sensory characteristics of fresh and cooked loin, were not affected by the sex or dietary treatment, except for shear force for cooked loin which was greater (P<0.05) in LE and ME vs HE. In conclusion, it is thought that ME is comparable to HE in terms of the effect on growth and carcass quality of finishing pigs, but that the relative effect of LE vs ME needs to be further studied.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.206-215
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• 2010

A total of 582 gilts and barrows were analyzed to investigate the regressive relationships to slaughter weight (SW) of variables related to production efficiency and pork quality. Average initial weights and SW were 88.6 and 122.5 kg, respectively, for gilts and 88.7 and 121.4 kg, respectively, for barrows. Average daily gain and gain:feed ratio were not affected by SW. Backfat thickness, which was significantly greater (p<0.01) in barrows (23.3 mm) than in gilts (20.7 mm), increased with increasing SW (0.21 mm/kg; p<0.001). When the 4-notch carcass yield and quality grades were quantified according to an arbitrary 1 point-per-1 notch scale, the former, but not the latter, regressed on SW (-0.64/10 kg; p<0.01). The percent yield of the belly per total lean (overall mean=20.7%) increased with increasing SW (0.37%/10 kg; p<0.001), whereas in other cuts, the SW effect was negligible. The redness of the loin also increased with increasing SW (p<0.05), but other physicochemical characteristics were minimally influenced by SW. In sensory evaluation, effects of SW for fresh and cooked loin, ham, and belly were mostly considered insignificant in terms of quality, albeit statistically significant in several cases. However, positive regressions on SW (p<0.01) of the marbling and acceptability scores of fresh loin as well as the fat:lean ratio of fresh belly were noteworthy. Collectively, SW of approximately 125 kg was maximal for both sexes under the current carcass yield grading, in which 94 kg is the upper weight limit for grade A carcass. However, if the carcass weight limit of the grading was to be removed or broadened, the SW for gilts (but not that for barrows because of their excessive fat content at above 125-kg SW) could be increased to 135 kg or greater without compromising carcass quality.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.65 no.6
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• pp.1242-1253
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• 2023

The present study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using a diet low in lysine content as a means for increasing the intramuscular fat (IMF) content and pork muscle quality of finishing pigs. Thirty-two crossbred gilts and barrows weighing approximately 80 kg were fed either a low-lysine diet (0.60%; Low-lys) or a control diet (0.80% lysine; Med-lys) under a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. The animals were slaughtered at a 132-kg body weight (BW) on average, followed by physicochemical analyses and sensory evaluation on Longissimus lumborum (LL) and Semitendinosus (ST) muscles. The average daily gain (ADG) did not differ between the Med-lys and Low-lys groups. However, ADG exhibited a tendency of sex × diet interaction (p = 0.09), being greater for barrows vs. gilts on the Low-lys diet (p < 0.05), but not on the Med-lys diet. Backfat thickness adjusted for 132-kg BW also exhibited the interaction; it was greater for the Low-lys vs. Med-lys group within gilts but tended to be less for the former in barrows (p = 0.08). The IMF content was not influenced by the diet or sex in either LL or ST. The a^*, b^*, and Warner-Bratzler Shear Force values and fatty acid composition were influenced by the sex or diet in either or both of the muscles, but the treatment effects did not apparently influence the meat quality. Sensory scores for the flavor, juiciness, tenderness, umami, and palatability of cooked muscle were not influenced by the diet in either LL or ST. When the LL and ST data were pooled, scores for those sensory attributes were positively correlated with the IMF content, which was associated with overall greater IMF contents and greater sensory scores for ST vs. LL. Collectively, the Low-lysine diet seemingly elicited the intended lysine deficiency in gilts as indicated by the increased BFT due to the diet. However, the Low-lys diet was not effective for increasing the IMF deposition or eating quality of the pork muscle of finishing pigs slaughtered at high BW probably because its lysine content was not low enough to elicit either outcome.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.1026-1030
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• 2002

A trial was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary NMA on several growth associated hormones and fat metabolism in finishing pigs. A total of 84 crossbred finishing pigs (average initial BW of $56{\pm}$0.37kg) were divided into 6 pens, 14 pigs per pen (7 gilts and 7 barrows per pen). 3 pens of pigs were fed with control diet (corn-soybean meal) and the others were fed control diet addition with 50 mg/kg NMA. During the trial, all pigs were given free access to feed and water. After 44 days trial, 8 pigs from each treatment (4 gilts and 4 barrows, weight similar to average group weight, $86.94{\pm}0.71kg$ for control group, and $90.55{\pm}1.51kg$ for NMA treated group) were sacrificed to collect the sample of the liver, longissimus muscle, subcutaneous fat (10th rib). The addition of NMA in diet increased the IGF-I, Insulin, T3, T4 levels in serum by 50.68% (p<0.05), 38.36% (p<0.05), 123.33% (p<0.01), 60.58% (p<0.03), respectively. Meanwhile, IGF-I level in the liver and the muscle were increased with 17.83% (p<0.03) and 26.00% (p<0.03) with addition of NMA. The data from subcutaneous fat (10th rib) analysis showed that supplement of 50 mg/kg NMA decreased the total activities of malic dehydrogenase (MDH) by 20.54% (p<0.05), glucose-6- phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-DPH) by 16.97% (p<0.05), and decreased the specific activities of MDH and G-6-DPH by 37.46% (p<0.01) and 35.06% (p<0.01), respectively. The hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) total activity was increased by 25.00% (p<0.05) in NMA treated pigs. These results indicated that addition of 50 mg/kg NMA to diet can induce the endocrine great change in finishing pigs, furthermore, inhibit the fat synthesis through suppressing lipogenic enzymes and promote the fat degradation by elevating HSL activity in finishing pigs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.811-816
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• 2000

Five experiments were conducted to evaluate blood urea nitrogen (BUN) as a potential index of feed efficiency (G/F) and lean growth in growing-finishing pigs. Exp. 1 was conducted to examine the relationship between feeding protocol and BUN values. Fasted-refed pigs exhibited BUN peaks 3 h post-prandially while those given ad libitum access to diet had inconsistent BUN patterns in 10 h blood sampling with an 1 h interval. In Exp. 2 and 3, it was revealed that the peak BUN values were negatively correlated (p<0.01) with G/F in both barrows and gilts at 20 kg body weight (BW) and 50 kg to 90 kg BW. In Exp. 4, it was found that BUN values between 55 kg and 70 kg BW, when lean gain is maximized, were best correlated with average daily lean gain (ADLG). In Exp. 5, 18 barrows and 21 gilts were used to examine the relationship between BUN values at 65 kg BW and ADLG from birth to market weight. The BUN values at 65 kg BW and ADLG were negatively correlated (p<0.01) in both genders. These experiments demonstrated that there was a correlation between peak BUN values, and G/F and ADLG under specific circumstances.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.207-212
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• 2000

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of different lupin kernel levels on growth performance and carcass characteristics of growing and finishing pigs. In experiment 1, a total of 54 barrows and 54 growing gilts, with an average initial body weight of $24.7{\pm}0.38kg$, was used to determine the effect of different lupin kernel levels (0, 10% and 20%; Control, LK10 and LK20, respectively) in the diets on growth performance with a $3{\times}3$ randomized complete block design for 35 days. There were no significant differences in average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed:gain among treatments. In experiment 2, a total of 54 barrows and 36 finishing gilts, with an average initial body weight of $63.0{\pm}0.56kg$, was used to determine the effect of different lupin kernel levels (0, 15% and 30%; Control, LK15 and LK30, respectively) in the diets on growth performance and carcass characteristics with a $3{\times}3$ randomized complete block design for 63 days. LK30 decreased ADG and ADFI compared with the Control and LK15 (p<0.05). However, LK30 tended to improve feed:gain compared with the Control and LK15. And LK15 did not differ from the Control in ADG, ADFI and feed:gain. With inclusion of lupin kernel in the finishing diet, backfat thickness increased (p<0.01) and carcass grade tended to be improved compared with the Control.