Dietary resveratrol supplementation improves meat quality of finishing pigs through changing muscle fiber characteristics and antioxidative status

• Published in: Meat science 2015-04, Vol.102, p.15-21
• Main Authors: Zhang, Cheng, Luo, Junqiu, Yu, Bing, Zheng, Ping, Huang, Zhiqing, Mao, Xiangbing, He, Jun, Yu, Jie, Chen, Jiali, Chen, Daiwen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antioxidants - administration & dosage; Antioxidative status; Chemical Phenomena; China; Crosses, Genetic; Diet - veterinary; Food Quality; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Glycolysis; Lipid Peroxidation; Male; Meat; Meat quality; Mechanical Phenomena; Muscle Fibers, Skeletal - chemistry; Muscle Fibers, Skeletal - metabolism; Myosin heavy chain; Myosin Heavy Chains - genetics; Myosin Heavy Chains - metabolism; Orchiectomy - veterinary; Pig; Resveratrol; Shear Strength; Skeletal Muscle Myosins - genetics; Skeletal Muscle Myosins - metabolism; Stilbenes - administration & dosage; Sus scrofa
• ISSN: 0309-1740; 1873-4138
• DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2014.11.014

This study investigated the effects of resveratrol (0, 300, 600mg/kg) on meat quality, muscle fiber characteristics and antioxidative capacity of finishing pigs. The results showed that resveratrol not only increased m. longissimus dorsi (LM) pH24h, a*, crude protein and myoglobin content but also decreased L*24h, shear force, drip loss, glycolytic potential, as well as backfat depth, LM lactate dehydrogenase activity and mRNA level. Meanwhile, LM total antioxidative capacity, glutathione peroxidase activity and its mRNA level were increased by resveratrol, while malonaldehyde content was decreased. In addition, resveratrol increased myosin heavy chain (MyHC)IIa mRNA level and decreased MyHCIIb mRNA level, along with decreased myofiber cross-sectional area. In conclusion, these results suggest that resveratrol is an effective feed additive to improve pork quality, and the underlying mechanism may be partly due to the changed muscle fiber characteristics and antioxidative capacity induced by resveratrol. •Impact of resveratrol on meat quality of finishing pigs was studied.•Resveratrol improved pH24h and color in m. longissimus dorsi, while decreased shear force and drip loss.•Resveratrol induced a shift toward more oxidative muscle fibers.•Resveratrol increased muscle antioxidative capacity.