Fifty six pigs were assigned to 1 of 4 diets (n = 14) for 35 days pre-slaughter, to assess the effects on bacterial
count, lipid peroxidation (LPO) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of fresh meat. The treatments were (T1)
basal diet (BD), (T2) BD plus seaweed extract (SWE), (T3) BD plus vitamin E (Vit E) and (T4) BD plus galacto-oligosaccharides
(GOS). At slaughter longissimus dorsi (LD) steaks were excised and stored in modified atmosphere
packs for a 14 day period. The supplemented diets improved the TAC of LD steaks until day 11 of storage while
SWE samples exhibited the highest TAC throughout. A reduction (P b 0.05) in the level of LPO was observed in
LD steaks from SWE and Vit E supplementation. Compared to basal diet, SWE and GOS exhibited lower bacterial
count throughout storage. These results demonstrate the potential for the incorporation of SWE into muscle
foods via the diet.