The intramuscular fat content was higher in pork from pigs fed animal
fat at 3% diet and lipid oxidation was higher also in pork from pigs
fed animal fat at 1% and control diets. Meanwhile, the soyabean oil at 1%
diet had the lowest values for both parameters. Furthermore, intramuscular
and subcutaneous fatty acid profilewasmainly affected by the inclusion
of soyabean oil at 1% in the diet, showing the lowest
monounsaturated and the highest polyunsaturated pork fat. The different
dietary fat sources at the levels we used in this research gave rise
only to limited differences on pork quality.
Despite finding no significant differences on eating quality, the
PCA afforded a comprehensive view of the predominating attributes
of pork from animals fed the different fats. It is clear that dietary fat
sources were mainly differentiated by IMF fatty acid profile, IMF content,
WBSF and flavour and texture sensory attributes. The pork from
pigs fed soyabean oil at 1% had a healthier fatty acid profile but a lower percentage of IMF, being related with a poor sensory analysis.
However, the pork from pigs fed animal fat at 3% and control diets
had similar characteristics and were related with higher IMF content,
tenderness and overall liking. Meanwhile, the calcium soaps of palm
oil at 1% could be recommended for inclusion in diets with no detrimental
effects on eating quality. The dilemma between a high sensory
quality and consumer health still exists, even at these low levels of inclusion
of different fat sources.