Effects of dietary supplementation of vitamins D(3) and E on quality characteristics of pigs and longissimus muscle antioxidative capacity.

The effects of addition of vitamin D(3) and vitamin E to pig diets on blood plasma calcium concentration, meat quality (longissimus muscle) and antioxidative capacity were investigated. Two treatments consisted of supplementation with vitamin D(3) (500,000IU/d) for 5 days separately (group D) and a combination of vitamin E (500mg α-tocopheryl acetate/kg diet) for 30 days and vitamin D(3) (500,000IU/d) for 5 days (group D+E) to growing-finishing pigs before slaughter. Pigs fed with vitamin D(3) had higher (P<0.01) plasma calcium concentration compared with control pigs. Dietary supplementation of vitamin E significantly (P<0.05) increased the concentration of α-tocopherol in meat (longissimus muscle). Vitamin D(3) supplementation resulted in higher (P=0.07) a(∗) values of loin chops at 5 days of storage. Vitamin D(3) and vitamin E supplementation did not affect other meat quality characteristics or tenderness (quantified by Warner-Bratzler shear force). Antioxidative capacity (measured as MDA production after incubation of longissimus muscle homogenates with Fe(2+)/ascorbate) was improved by vitamin E and partly by vitamin D(3) supplementation.