Effects of Dietary Mallotus oblongifolius Ultrafine Powder Supplementation on Quality of Pork from Hainan Pigs During the Late Fattening Period.

Abstract

The genus Mallotus oblongifolius (MO), a member of the Euphorbia family, exhibits a predominant distribution in Hainan Island and has been proven to possess diverse medicinal attributes. Research indicates that ultramicro-grinding fully exposes the active ingredients of Mallotus oblongifolius, enhancing bioavailability and efficacy, compared to before. Our study investigates the effects of ultrafine powder of Mallotus oblongifolius (MOUP) on Hainan pigs. A total of sixty-four healthy castrated pigs (ternary hybrid pigs, Duroc × Duroc × Tunchang) with comparable initial body weight (BW, 68.06 ± 1.03 kg, 150 days old) were allocated randomly into four groups: the control group (CONT), the antibiotic group (ANTI), the 0.1% MOUP group (PT1), and the 0.5% MOUP group (PT2). There were four replicate pens per treatment with four pigs per pen. The pre-test lasted for 7 days and the formal test lasted for 70 days. The CONT group was fed the basal diet, the ANTI group was fed the basal diet supplemented with 300 mg/kg colistin sulfate, the PT1 group was fed the basal diet supplemented with 0.1% MOUP, and the PT2 group was fed the basal diet supplemented with 0.5% MOUP. The findings of our study indicate that the inclusion of colistin sulfate and MOUP in the diet did not have any significant impact on the production performance or carcass indicators of Hainan pigs compared to the CONT group. However, it is noteworthy that the addition of MOUP to the diet resulted in a significant improvement in the lightness, tenderness, muscle fiber morphology, amino acid composition, and antioxidant activity of the longissimus dorsi muscle, particularly in the PT2 group, compared to the CONT group. In conclusion, the present study has demonstrated that the inclusion of MOUP in the dietary regimen yields enhancements in the meat quality of Hainan pigs, particularly when supplemented at a concentration of 0.5%.