Fatty Acid Profile and Lipid Quality Indexes of the Meat and Backfat from Porkers Supplemented with EM Bokashi Probiotic

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Probiotics can be used in pigs fattening as a partial or full alternative to antibiotic growth promoters. Their composition and the dosage used in the feed must not impair the nutritional value of the meat raw materials obtained from them. The use of the probiotic preparation Bokashi (containing specific strains of Lactobacillus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast) as a feed additive in fattening pigs resulted in significant changes in meat and backfat fatty acid profiles and the lipid indexes calculated from them. The changes in the fatty acid profile of backfat appeared to be more beneficial to consumer health due to the increased proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). From a technological point of view, there is a more favorable Saturation Index (SI) value in backfat. ABSTRACT: The study aimed to assess the effect of supplementation of pig diet with the Bokashi probiotic on the fatty acid profile of longissimus lumborum (LL) muscles and backfat. The research involved 120 hybrid pigs deriving from Naïma sows and P-76 boars. The experimental group’s pigs received probiotics in their feed (containing Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus casei, and Lactobacillus plantarum). To analyze the fatty acid profile in intramuscular fat (IMF) of LL and backfat, 24 pig carcasses from the control group and 26 from the probiotic-supplemented group were randomly selected. Probiotic supplementation increased the Atherogenic Index, reduced the proportion of C20:4, and increased C12:0 and C18:2 n-6 in IMF LL, without affecting ΣSFA, ΣMUFA, and ΣPUFA. In backfat, probiotic supplementation decreased C18:1 and C18:2 n-6 proportion and increased C18:3 n-3, C20:3 n-6, and C20:4 n-6. These changes resulted in significantly higher ΣMUFA, ΣPUFA, PUFA Σn-3/Σn-6, and lower Saturation Index (SI). From a consumer health and technological point of view, probiotic supplementation improved the lipid profile of backfat to a greater extent than LL muscle. Bokashi, at a dose of 3 g/kg of feed in the last stage of pig production, had no significant effect on the fatty acid profile of the meat.