The Chemical Composition of Domestic Soybean Seeds and the Effects of Partial Substitution of Soybean Meal by Raw Soybean Seeds in the Diet on Pigs’ Growth Performance and Pork Quality (M. Longissimus Lumborum)

Abstract The objective of the study was to determine the effect of replacing soybean meal with 5% of raw soybean seeds on the growth, feed consumption and utilization of growing pigs, also the carcass and pork quality. The growth experiment was conducted on 120 pigs of approx. 18.5 kg allocated to two dietary treatments. The animals from the control treatment (CON) were offered a diet with soybean meal, and the experimental group (EXP) was given 5% raw soybean seeds (NON-GMO, Augusta var.) instead of SBM. The experiment lasted 88 days. After the experiment, eight pigs from each group were euthanized and meat samples were collected. No diet effects on the animals’ performance and carcass quality were observed (P>0.05). The experimental diet affected (P<0.05) meat color, and also meat composition (higher water content and lower intramuscular fat content). The composition of fatty acids in the meat did not differ significantly, except for higher C16:1 content in the EXP group. The introduction of 5% raw soybean seeds into the diets did not impact animal performance, but it reduced some indices of the pork quality.