Effects of dietary supplementation of vitamins D3 and E on quality characteristics of pigs and longissimus muscle antioxidative capacity

The effects of addition of vitamin D3 and vitamin E to pig diets on blood plasma calcium concentration, meat quality (longissimus muscle) and antioxidative capacity were investigated. Two treatments consisted of supplementation with vitamin D3 (500,000 IU/d) for 5 days separately (group D) and a combination of vitamin E (500 mg α-tocopheryl acetate/kg diet) for 30 days and vitamin D3 (500,000 IU/d) for 5 days (group D + E) to growing-finishing pigs before slaughter. Pigs fed with vitamin D3 had higher (P < 0.01) plasma calcium concentration compared with control pigs. Dietary supplementation of vitamin E significantly (P < 0.05) increased the concentration of α-tocopherol in meat (longissimus muscle). Vitamin D3 supplementation resulted in higher (P = 0.07) a∗ values of loin chops at 5 days of storage. Vitamin D3 and vitamin E supplementation did not affect other meat quality characteristics or tenderness (quantified by Warner–Bratzler shear force). Antioxidative capacity (measured as MDA production after incubation of longissimus muscle homogenates with Fe2+/ascorbate) was improved by vitamin E and partly by vitamin D3 supplementation.