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Effects of long‐term microalgae supplementation on muscle microstructure, meat quality and fatty acid composition in growing pigs
Author(s) -
Kalbe Claudia,
Priepke Antje,
Nürnberg Gerd,
Dannenberger Dirk
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.651
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1439-0396
pISSN - 0931-2439
DOI - 10.1111/jpn.13037
Subject(s) - polyunsaturated fatty acid , docosahexaenoic acid , longissimus thoracis , eicosapentaenoic acid , food science , biology , longissimus muscle , composition (language) , fatty acid , biochemistry , zoology , tenderness , linguistics , philosophy
We investigated the effects of long‐term microalgae supplementation (7% in a piglet diet and 5% in a fattening diet) on muscle microstructure and meat quality, including fatty acid composition in female Landrace pigs ( n = 31). The major effects were muscle‐specific increases in n‐3 and n‐6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) concentrations, resulting in increased accumulation of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Carcass traits and meat quality of longissimus thoracis muscle were not affected by the microalgae diet with the exception of reduced drip loss ( p = 0.01) and increased protein proportion ( p = 0.04). In addition, the microalgae diet resulted in a shift to a more oxidative myofibre type composition in semitendinosus but not longissimus thoracis muscle. In conclusion, microalgae supplementation offers a unique opportunity to enhance essential n‐3 PUFA contents in pig meat. The results support small but coordinated changes in skeletal muscle phenotypic appearance and functionality.