Influence of acorn size on growth performance, carcass quality and fatty acid composition of subcutaneous and intramuscular fat from Iberian pigs fattened in confinement

Abstract

The main objective of this experiment was to asses the effect of acorn size consumed during the fattening period (90.1-137.9 kg) on growth performance, carcass characteristics and fat quality from Iberian pigs. Two groups of eight barrows were located in individual cages and fed ad libitum with acorns in confinement. One group of pigs received acorns of large size (average weight 4.26 g) and the other one acorns of small size (2.49 g). The pigs that received small acorns had lower average daily intake (5.5 kg) than those pigs given large acorns (5.7 kg) and consequently, weight average daily gain and carcass weight were significantly lower (0.7 vs 0.6 kg and 111.1 vs 106.2 kg respectively). The acorn size had not significant influence on major fatty acids proportions contained in subcutaneous fat and intramuscular Longissimus dorsi muscle.