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Abstract
This study investigated the effect of vitamin B5 dietary level on carcass and meat quality characteristics in the heavy pig. To this aim, 42 pigs, 21 gilts and 21 barrows, of similar weight and age, evenly divided into 3 groups of 14 subjects each, were fed, from approx. 95 kg live weight (lw) till slaughtering (around 165 kg lw), the same basal diet containing either 10 (control, C), or 60 (T1), or 110 ppm (T2) pantothenic acid. At increasing dietary levels of vitamin B5, only numerical improvements of lean meat and lean cuts percentages were observed, whereas total adipose cuts, backfat and jowl percentages decreased (P<0.05). Ham characteristics and meat quality traits, such as colour, pH, intramuscular fat and protein contents, were not affected by the dietary treatment.