| It has been established that the final fatty acid profile of pork carcass fat reflects the relative contribution of each dietary fat source. After 75 years of research, we are continuing to study this characteristic because it remains a concern even in today's swine industry. As the industry has made significant advances in reducing carcass leanness through genetic selection, it has been demonstrated that more unsaturated fatty acids are present in the fat depots of pigs selected for reduced backfat thickness, than in pigs with a genetic predisposition for obesity. Meat processors are concerned with soft fat because of increased processing difficulty such as grinding and slicing, which result in lower yield. Further, demand for pork bellies has risen dramatically since the early 1990's and is reflected in the increased price of sliced bacon. This thesis will examine the effects of various fat sources on animal performance, fat digestibility, pork fat quality, and the organoleptic characteristics of pork from fat-supplemented pigs. Fat sources evaluated included tallow, soy oil, yellow grease, chemically hydrogenated fat, and conjugated linoleic acid. |
