Dietary Addition with Fermented Sorghum Distiller's Dried Grains with Soluble Improved Carcass Traits and Meat Quality in Growing-Finishing Pigs

The fermented sorghum distiller's dried grains with soluble (FS-DDGS) contain numerous nutrients, yet its nutritional effects on growing-finishing pigs remain unclear. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary FS-DDGS addition on growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality in growing-finishing pigs. A total of 48 healthy male crossbred (Large White × Landrace × Duroc) barrows with initial body weight (BW) of 39.95 ± 2.15 kg were allocated to one of four dietary treatments (12 pigs per treatment). The dietary treatments were as follows: basal diet without (FS-DDGS0 group) or with 50 g/kg (FS-DDGS50 group), 100 g/kg (FS-DDGS100 group), or 150 g/kg (FS-DDGS150) FS-DDGS, respectively. Results showed that dietary FS-DDGS addition increased (linear, P  < 0.05) the pH 24h value, and contents of ash, crude protein, and Pro in Longissimus dorsi muscle, and Ala, Arg, Asp, Glu, Ile, Leu, Lys, Ser, and Tyr in Biceps femoris (BF) muscle. Meanwhile, dietary FS-DDGS addition decreased (linear, P  < 0.05) the drip loss, b* value, and L* value. In addition, an effect (quadratic, P  < 0.05) on total bone percentage and Gly and Pro contents in BF muscle were observed. Collectively, these findings suggested that dietary FS-DDGS addition could improve carcass traits and meat quality; nevertheless, more research is warranted to determine the underlying mechanism associated with the alterations.