INFLUENCE OF FLAX SEED AND α-TOKOPHEROL IN PIG DIET ON FATTY ACID COMPOSITION AND OXIDATIVE STABILITY OF BACK FATT LIPIDS I. DYNAMICS OF LINOLENIC ACID CONTENT

V. Doychev

Abstract: A trial with 70 hybrid pigs Swedish Large White (SLW) x Bulgaria Landrase (BL) x Hybrid boars of ham type (HB). The pigs have been divided in 5 groups (14 pigs per group) (7 male castrated and 7 female) equal in age and live weight. The pigs have been kept in individual pens since 46 kg to 120 kg live weight. During the last two months of fattening (78 – 120 kg) a flax seed 40, 80, 120 and 120 gr/ kg-1 has been added to the compound feed of the pigs of experimental groups (II, III IV and V), respectively. Moreover alphatocopherol acetate 0.2 gr.kg-1 has been added to the compound feed of pigs from V group. Biopsy samples of back fat have been taken, weekly, from 3 pigs per group for determining of changes of C18:3 n-3 content. The changes in fatty acid composition were most intensive during the beginning of the experiment. For 8 weeks trial more than 60% of the total changes have been made during the first 3 weeks and more than 75% of the total changes during the first 4 weeks. There were no good relationship between the level of flax seed in the diet and the time for reaching of the plateau of the C18:3 n-3 level. When the flax seed level was 8% and 12% the plateau has been reached for 5 – 6 weeks and when the flax seed level was 4% the plateau has been reached for 4 weeks. During the present experiment good influence of the flax seed level in the feed on the significance of the C18:3 n-3 level has been observed. After reaching the plateau and till the end of the experiment the level of C18:3 n-3 has reached clearly different levels.

Keywords: back fat; C18:3 n-3 level; feeding; flax seed; pigs

Date published: 2023-01-30