ASSESSMENT OF THE OXIDATIVE AND BACTERIOLOGICAL STATUSES OF PORK FROM PIGS FED DIETS SUPPLEMENTED WITH GARLIC

Abstract

There has been a lot of concern and restriction on the use of synthetic antibiotics as growth promoters in livestock feeds, leading to the need for alternatives that would be hazard free. This study evaluated the oxidative and bacteriological statuses of refrigerated fresh meat of pigs fed diets supplemented with ground garlic (Allium sativum). Four experimental diets, each containing the test additives were prepared to contain a basal diet (17.71% CP, 2653.21 kcal/kg DE) at 0, 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 g/kg diet. The diets were offered to sixteen (16) pigs of mixed breeds (Large White, Landrace and Duroc) within the range of 24.5 and 27.5 kg live weight. The pigs were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments with each pig housed in separately partitioned pen and treated as a replicate in a completely randomized experimental design. The diets were offered to the pigs at 5% of pig's body weight and fed twice (morning and evening) daily while clean water was provided ad-libitum throughout the experimental period of nine weeks. Thereafter, the pigs were slaughtered and meat samples from the thighs were collected and refrigerated for up to five (5) days for determination of oxidative stability and bacteriological status. The results showed that dietary supplementation of garlic for pigs enhanced oxidative stability (P>0.05) and reduced bacterial load (P<0.001) of the refrigerated meat.