Inclusion of grape pomace in the diet of pigs on pork quality and oxidative stability of omega-3 enriched fat

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of including grape pomace in the diet of pigs on pork quality and oxidative stability of body fat enriched with omega-3 fatty acids. Four treatments were compared: T1) Control diet based on corn and soybean meal; T2) Diet with inclusion of 3% of a canola (50%) and flaxseed (50%) oil blend; T3) Diet with inclusion of 3% of the oil blend and sequential levels of 3 and 5% of grape pomace; T4) Diet with inclusion of 3% of the oil blend and sequential levels of 6 and 10% of grape pomace. Inclusion of grape pomace in the diet led to an increase (P<0.10) of a* value and color saturation index of meat. The omega-3 and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content of backfat were increased (P>0.10) with dietary inclusion of oils blend. Neither the inclusion of the oil blend, nor the grape pomace had any effect (P>0.10) on the production of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in the loin samples, despite the higher PUFA content in the fat of pigs fed the oil blend. Antioxidant effect of grape pomace was not possible to prove when measured by TBARS, but the increased redness of the pork from pigs fed with this ingredient suggested a possible antioxidant effect of grape pomace.