Two independent trials were performed to evaluate the sensitivity of the KRL test for identifying the effects of fat and water soluble antioxidant supplements on total blood antioxidant activity of
pigs. In the first trial, dietary supplementation with vitamin E was
performed during the post-weaning period. In the second trial,
long-term supplementation with plant antioxidants from weaning
to slaughter was evaluated. The dosage of plant extract in the feed
was chosen on the basis of our previous study in pig (Corino et al.,
2007). The dosage of vitamin E in the feed was chosen on the basis
of KRL test results that compared the antioxidant activity of Vitamin E and plant extract (Rossi et al., 2009b). All procedures involving animals were carried out in accordance with European
Communities Council Directive (86/609/EEC, 1986) and approved
by the Italian Ministry of Health (L. n. 116/92).