Effects of polyphenol-rich Aronia melanocarpa pomace feeding on growth performance, biochemical profile, and meat quality in pigs at weaned and finishing stages

Aronia melanocarpa Pomace (AMP) is a by-product of juices production and is a kind of natural antioxidant that can benefit health. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of AMP as feed additives in diets fed to weaned piglets and finishing pigs. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of dietary AMP supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and biochemical profile in serum in pigs at weaned stage and on carcass traits and meat quality in pigs at finishing stage. In Exp.1, 96 weaned pigs with initial body weight (IBM) 8.50 ± 1.28 kg were allotted to 4 dietary treatments for 28 days. In Exp. 2, 96 finishing pigs (IBW: 79.21 ± 7.85 kg) were distributed to 4 dietary treatments for 46 days. The four treatment diets included a basal diet and three experimental diets with 0.5‰, 1‰, and 2‰ AMP, respectively in both Exp. 1 and Exp. 2. The results showed that the 2‰ AMP diets improved the average daily feed intake (ADFI) (P < 0.01), the average daily gain (ADG) (P < 0.05), and decreased (P < 0.01) the diarrhea rate in piglets, compared to control diet during day 0-14 and 0-28. Diets with 1‰ and 2‰ AMP addition improved (P = 0.01) the glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) content in the serum of piglets on day 28. In Exp. 2, dietary AMP supplementation increased the GSH-Px contents in serum (P < 0.05) and liver (P < 0.01), improved the meat quality by reducing drip loss (P < 0.05) and increasing postmortem pH values (P < 0.05), and increased Gpx1 (P < 0.05) and Gpx4 (P < 0.05) mRNA expression in liver of finishing pigs. In conclusion, it is feasible to include AMP as a feed additive in the diet of pigs at weaned and finishing stages.