The effects of a dietary supplement of biotin on Italian heavy pigs' (160 kg) growth, slaughtering parameters, meat quality and the sensory properties of cured hams

In order to evaluate the effects of a dietary supplementation with biotin on heavy pigs productive performances (including meat and cured hams quality), forty-five Landrace x Large White barrows, with an initial average body weight (BW) of 35 kg, were allocated to three experimental groups: a control group (A) fed a maize/soybean diet and two treatment-groups (B and C) receiving the same diet as group A but with the addition of crystalline biotin at 150 and 300 ppb, respectively. Pigs were fed at the rate of 9% of their metabolic BW (BW0.75) up to a maximum of 3.2 kg per pig per day. Pigs were slaughtered at about 160 kg BW. Animals on biotin diets showed a higher (P<0.05) average daily gain (ADG) during the finishing phase. The addition of biotin to the diet resulted in lower L* and Hue values of loin (P<0.05). The dietary treatment affected (P<0.05) the fatty acid composition of the subcutaneous fat of the fresh thigh resulting in an increase of saturated acids and in a lowering of the sum of unsaturated acids and the iodine number (P<0.05) in biotin-treated animals. Our results indicate that biotin may play a positive role on heavy pigs’ growth, meat quality and the sensory and technological properties of cured hams