Three trials were carried out in a completely randomized design aiming to assess the behavior of pigs in growth phase in enriched environments. Trial 1 evaluated the effects of frequency of availability of environmental enrichment. The animals were assigned to four treatments: 1) control with no enrichment object; 2) objects provided for six consecutive days uninterruptedly; 3) objects provided on alternate days, and 4) objects provided for six consecutive days taken away by the end of the afternoon and replaced at dawn. Trial 2 assessed the effects of scent on animals’ acceptance and maintenance of interest in objects. Animals were assigned to four treatments: 1) unscented object; 2) object with banana scent; 3) object with rum scent; 4) object with scents alternated every other day. Trial 3 aimed to assess the influence of environmental enrichment based on providing rewards at different difficulty levels. Animals were assigned to three treatments: 1) object with no reward; 2) object with a reward at an easy level; 3) object with a reward at a difficult level. Each trial had six days of behavioral observations every ten minutes for eight hours each day using images from video cameras. Enrichment objects stimulated the animals’ natural behavior of nuzzling and exploring the environment. The way the objects were available did not impact the success of their use. Offering enrichment on alternate days or removing the objects by the end of the day was not an effective strategy to extend the animals’ interest. The olfactory stimulus in environmental enrichment objects had no positive effect on extending the animals’ interest on them, nor did alternating the aromas. The tactile stimulus was a key factor for object attractiveness. Providing environmental enrichment objects with rewards stimulated the exploratory behavior of pigs. The level of difficulty to obtain the reward may discourage the animals.

Full-length research article Recent genetic advances have enabled the breeding of pigs with a high capacity for lean tissue deposition, albeit resulting in changes in dietary phosphorus requirements due to variations in the carcass muscle-to-fat ratio. However, metabolism, tissue synthesis, and feed intake differ considerably between growth stages, thereby also changing the pattern of dietary requirements of pigs during their growth stages (Kornegay and Harper, 1997). Thus, because dietary requirements change, the dietary content of digestible phosphorus for swine must be constantly adjusted, and over the years, research studies Non-ruminants

The study was conducted to evaluate the microbiological development in PSE pork compared with normal meat and the effect of season of the year on the rate of proliferation of the same. Longissimus dorsi muscle samples from carcasses classified as PSE slaughter (pH45 <5.8) and normal (pH45 > 5.8) were collected after 24 hours of refrigeration, at the time of deboning, in a commercial slaughterhouse, with service federal inspection, located in the Grande Dourados region (MS). The samples (12 normal and 12 PSE) were collected at two different times of the year (fall and winter) for analysis of total and 45ºC coliforms, mesophylls, psychotropic, pseudomonas, yeasts and molds at 0, 5, 10 and 15 days of storage under refrigeration. Microbial growth behaved similarly between the two types of meat throughout the storage period, except for the count of mesophilic aerobic microorganisms, whose development was superior in PSE meat until the 5th day storage, matching between both types of meat later. Was no effect of season on the count of total coliforms and 45ºC, and their proliferation rate higher in meat from the slaughtered animals the warmer season (autumn).

Objetivou-se avaliar níveis de lisina digestível em dietas contendo 5 ppm de ractopamina sobre o desempenho e características quantitativas de carcaça de suínos em fase de terminação. Foram utilizados 96 suínos, sendo 48 machos castrados e 48 fêmeas, com peso inicial de 83,57 ± 4,07kg, distribuídos em delineamento inteiramente ao acaso, com quatro níveis de lisina digestível (0,94; 0,96; 1,02 e 1,04%), com três repetições de oito animais cada. O período experimental teve duração de 28 dias. O consumo de ração diário reduziu e a conversão alimentar melhorou linearmente de acordo com o aumento dos níveis de lisina digestível das dietas. Os pesos final, de frigorífico e de carcaça quente, o rendimento de carcaça, a quantidade de carne magra e o índice de bonificação aumentaram linearmente de acordo com o aumento dos níveis de lisina digestível. Não houve efeito dos níveis de lisina digestível sobre o ganho de peso diário, perda de peso durante o transporte e a porcentagem de carne magra da carcaça. Concluiu-se que, em dietas contendo 5ppm de ractopamina, o nível de 1,04% de lisina digestível melhora a conversão alimentar e aumenta o peso final, o peso e o rendimento de carcaça, a quantidade de carne magra e o índice de bonificação das carcaças dos suínos.

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