Rearing system and oleic acid effect on pork and fat

What is it about?

Data evaluating the effect of oleic-acid-enriched diets and outdoor rearing (with access to pasture) on the quality of Alentejano pork and fat are limited. The aim of this work was to study the effects of feeding low or high oleic acid diets to Alentejano pigs reared in individual pens or outdoors with access to pasture. This long-term study shows that rearing system and oleic acid supplementation have complementary effects and influence the nutritional quality of pork and dorsal subcutaneous fat.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

Interestingly, the high oleic diet, associated or not to outdoor rearing, led to a neutral lipid profile in B. femoris and dorsal subcutaneous fat of pigs comparable to the one required in valued high-quality carcasses from “bellota” pigs, reared outdoors and finished on oak woodland pasture.