Effects of Dietary Perilla Cake Supplementation in Growing Pig on Productive Performance, Meat Quality, and Fatty Acid Profiles

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Perilla is an edible oil crop containing high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), such as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and omega-3. The omega-3 helps in mitigating the risk of cardiovascular disease in humans. For industrial use, perilla seed is extracted for virgin oil, which is generally achieved by mechanical screw pressing. This process generates perilla cake that contains a fat content around 9–10%. In this study, we examined the effect of the supplementation of perilla cake in the pig diet on productive performance, pig carcass characteristics, meat quality, and fatty acid composition in fat tissue, and meat. The pig performance improved in terms of average daily gain after supplementation with perilla cake; however, the pig carcass and meat quality was unchanged. Moreover, the perilla cake supplement increased PUFA fatty acids and reduced the proportion of saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids in pork. The overall outcome of this study provides an alternative source of novel raw material for functional feed additives in livestock production. ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to determine the effect of perilla cake (PC) supplementation in a growing pig diet on overall growing performance, meat quality, and fatty acid profile. A total of 24 barrow grower crossbred pigs (Large White × Landrace) × Duroc with an initial average body weight of 26.33 kg were fed with a basal diet supplemented with PC at 0%, 5%, and 10% in (PC0, PC5, and PC10, respectively) for 12 weeks. At the end of the experimental period, pigs were slaughtered to determine carcass traits and meat quality. Back fat, abdominal fat, and longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle were collected to investigate fatty acid composition. The results show that the average daily gain (ADG) in the PC10 significantly increased. However, PC supplementation did not influence carcass traits and meat quality except the color as described by lightness (L*). Dietary PC supplementation significantly increased the α-linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3 cis-9, 12, 15), whereas n6/n3 ratio decreased significantly in all tissues investigated. Thus, it can be concluded that the supplementation of PC in growing pig diet is a potential way to increase the fatty acid composition to that required for healthier meat.