No abstract

No abstract

Crossbred "heavy" pigs (average weight 120 kg, slaughter weight above 160 kg) were supplemented with all-rac-alpha-tocopheryl acetate during the last 60 d of late finishing at doses of 25 (control), 50, 100, 200, or 300 mg/kg of diet. At the end of this period, the pigs were slaughtered. Carcass characteristics and the meat quality of pork chops from longissimus muscle (LM) at the last lumbar vertebra were evaluated on eight barrows from each dosage group. Alpha-tocopherol levels were determined in plasma during supplementation and in LM muscle after slaughter. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and drip loss were also evaluated in meat. Plasma alpha-tocopherol levels increased (P < .005) during supplementation in treated animals compared to controls, with a peak at 40 d. Alpha-tocopherol levels were higher (P < .05) in LM from pigs treated with 300 mg/kg than in controls (8.4 vs 5.6 microg/g). Dressing percentages correlated (P < .05) with the ratio of plasma alpha-tocopherol levels to the sum of cholesterol and triglycerides. Inhibition of TBARS during storage was related (P < .005) to vitamin E supplementation level, but drip losses in chops were not related to supplementation levels. We concluded that dietary vitamin E supplementation to heavy pigs during the last 60 d of finishing improves dressing percentage, reduces lipid oxidation, and increases the alpha-tocopherol concentration of tissues.

No abstract

The effects of intramuscularly administrated vitamin E on total lipids, fatty acid profile, and lipid stability to oxidation was investigated in lamb liver. Twenty-four 5-day-old lambs were allotted to 4 groups of 6 each and given respectively 0 (control), 125, 200, 300 mg dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate weekly from day 5 to 33. alpha-Tocopherol stored in lamb liver at the end of experiment showed linear correlation with the level of injected vitamin E. No effect on total lipids was found. A decrease in the level of liver thiobarbituric-acid reactive substances (TBARS), significantly correlated with liver alpha-tocopherol content, was found in vitamin E groups. The amount of linoleic and linolenic acids significantly increased in the vitamin E groups as compared to control group, and were correlated with the liver alpha-tocopherol content. TBARS were negatively correlated with the concentration of unsaturated fatty acids. Finally, in the liver of the treated groups, vitamin E concentrations in the range 30-50 micrograms/g showed adequate for an efficient protection from peroxidation of membrane lipids, and determined an increase in the unsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratio.