Alternative Protein Sources vs. GM Soybean Meal as Feedstuff for Pigs—Meat Quality and Health-Promoting Indicators

SIMPLE SUMMARY: In its slogan “International year of pulses” coined for 2016, the WHO has indicated trends in activities for future generations, these being “Nutritious seeds for a sustainable future”. Alternative sources of vegetable protein can be used in the conditions of sustainable development to produce high-quality animal products, including pork. One of the goals of the European Green Deal is to produce protein feedstuff in Europe and become independent from imported American soybeans. This study aimed to partially replace genetically-modified soybean meal (SBM GM) with alternative protein sources (pea seeds and rapeseeds meal—RSM) in feed mixtures for growing-finishing pigs and to determine its impact on meat quality and health-promoting indices. The SBM GM was the only protein source in feed mixtures for control pigs. In feed mixtures for experimental animals, it was replaced with increasing doses of pea seeds, i.e., 5.0, 10.0, 15.0, and 17.5% in groups E1, E2, E3, and E4, respectively. The doses were the same in both fattening stages. The feed mixtures were iso-energetic and iso-protein. After completed fattening, meat was determined for quality attributes, fatty acid profile, and values of health-promoting indices beneficial from the dietetic perspective. Values of the analyzed quality attributes of pork justify using alternative protein sources as partial SBM GM replacers in the feeding of growing pigs. ABSTRACT: This study aimed to explain the possibility of partial replacement of genetically-modified soybean meal (SBM GM) with pea seeds and rapeseed meal (RSM) in complete feed mixtures for growing-finishing pigs and to determine its impact on meat quality and health-promoting indices. The pigs (n = 50) were randomly divided into five groups, 10 animals each (gilts and barrows, 1:1, 3-breed: ♀ (landrace × yorkshire) × ♂ duroc), including the control group (C) and four experimental groups (E1, E2, E3, E4), and fed complete feed mixtures. The SBM GM was the only protein source in feed mixtures for control pigs. In feed mixtures for E1–E4 groups, it was partially replaced with pea seed doses of 5.0%, 10.0%, 15.0%, and 17.5% in groups E1, E2, E3, and E4, respectively. The feed mixtures were iso-energetic and iso-protein. After completed fattening, the animals were slaughtered. M. longissimus lumborum was sampled for analyses of the chemical and physical traits. The fatty acid profile determined in intramuscular fat (IMF) was used to compute the values of the health-promoting indices. The chemical and physical characteristics of meat were comparable in all groups. The study showed a dietetically-beneficial decrease in the values of atherogenicity index (AI), thrombogenicity index (TI), and saturation (S/P) in the meat of the experimental pigs vs. control group. The values of most of the analyzed quality attributes of pork justify using alternative protein sources as partial SBM GM replacers in diets for growing-finishing pigs in sustainable animal production.