Effect of replacing sugar cane juice with African palm oil (Elaeis guineensis) on performance and carcass characteristics of pigs

Abstract

At the Instituto Mayor Campesino (IMCA), Buga, Valle, Colombia, 15 Large White * Hampshire (LW*HS) growing- fattening pigs in individual pens were allocated to one of five dietary treatments, with one castrate and two females per treatment. The treatments were mixtures of SCJ and PO on an isocaloric basis of 100:0, 75:25, 50:50, 25:75 and 0:100. Feeding was ad libitum. The trial period was from 24 to 90 kg mean live weight, after which the pigs were slaughtered for carcass evaluation. Daily liveweight gains were in the range of 690 to 850 g/day and were not affected by dietary treatment (P>0.05). Dry matter intake was reduced and feed dry matter conversion ratio improved by increasing the proportion of PO in the diet (P<0.05). Loin eye area was increased and back fat thickness reduced as the proportion of energy derived from PO was increased.