Phase-feeding dietary fat to growing-finishing pigs fed dried distillers grains with solubles

Crossbred pigs (n = 216) were used to test the effects of phase-feeding beef tallow (BT) and yellow grease (YGr) to growing-finishing swine fed dried distillers grains with soluble (DDGS) on live performance, carcass, belly, and bacon quality characteristics, and fatty acid composition of various fat depots. Pigs were blocked by initial BW (26 +/- 5.3 kg) and gender before allotment to pens (6 pigs/pen), and pens (6 pens/block) were allotted randomly to 1 of 6 dietary treatments. Corn-soybean meal grower and finisher dietary treatments consisted of a negative control (NC) devoid of BT for all phases; a positive control (PC) with 5% BT for all phases; or treatments including 5% BT during phases 1 and 2 (BT12), during phases 1, 2, and 3 (BT123), during phases 3, 4, and 5 (BT345), or during phases 4 and 5 (BT45). All dietary treatments were formulated with 30% dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) during phases 1, 2, and 3, 15% DDGS during phase 4, and no DDGS during phase 5. Pigs were slaughtered at an average BW of 124.1 kg. Fresh belly quality data was collected on the left-sided bellies, whereas bacon from the right-sided bellies was prepared under commercial processing conditions. Then, USDA-certified No. 1 slices were collected for cooking characteristics and sensory panel evaluations. Duplicate 5-g fat samples from the jowl, backfat, and belly were used for fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) quantification of individual fatty acids. Results of this study indicate that phase-feeding BT to pigs fed diets formulated with DDGS had little to no impact on live pig performance, carcass characteristics, yields of commercially-processed bacon, bacon quality characteristics, but had a tendency to improve fresh belly firmness while increasing proportions of saturated fatty acids (SFA).