Fiber sources in pigs feeding

Resumo

The trend in the industry is the slaughter of heavier pigs, where slaughterhouses obtain more meat per hour worked, dilute fixed costs, and intensify the value added of prime meat. This allows the operational costs of logistics, infrastructure and labor reduction. The objective of this review was to demonstrate the effects of dietary fiber on aspects related to the pigs’ carcass quantitative and qualitative characteristics and the factors that affect these parameters. Corn and soybeans are the pig feed major constituents; however, they are used in human food. The biggest challenge is to maintain the animal production efficiency, using alternative foods that do not compete directly with human food. The nutritional and physiological effects of fiber depend not only on the amount of cell wall constituents incorporated into the diet, but on its chemical and structural composition and the way it is physically associated with other nutrients. Studies using soluble and insoluble dietary fiber in pig diets have significant advances in the identification of fiber sources and their functions on meat quality.