An experiment was conducted to
evaluate the effects of chromium picolinate (CrP) on
growth performance, carcass composition, and tissue
accretion rates in pigs from 27 to 109 kg BW. Seven
littermate sets of Yorkshire-Hampshire barrows, individually
penned, were fed a fortified, corn-soybean
meal basal diet (.95% lysine from 27 to 55 kg; .80%
lysine from 55 to 109 kg) supplemented with 0 or 200
mg/kg of Cr from CrP. Addition of CrP increased ( P <
.09) ADG but did not affect ADFI or feed:gain ratio.
Average and 10th rib backfat and longissimus muscle
area were not affected by Cr supplementation. The
right side of the carcass was physically dissected into
muscle, fat, bone, and skin. Additionally, five pigs
were killed for determination of initial body composition.
Dietary CrP addition increased ( P < .02) the
percentage of muscle and decreased ( P < .06) the
percentage of fat. Total gain of dissected bone and skin
were not different between treatments, but CrP
increased ( P < .06) the total gain of dissected muscle
and decreased ( P < .02) the total gain of dissected fat.
Also, CrP increased the daily accretion rates of muscle
( P < .05) and bone ( P < .03) and decreased the daily
accretion rate of fat ( P < .05). The left side of the
carcass was ground for determination of water,
protein, lipid, and ash. The addition of CrP to the diet
increased the percentage ( P < .09) and accretion rate
( P < .09) of water and increased the percentage ( P <
.004), total gain ( P < .02), and accretion rate ( P <
.02) of protein while decreasing ( P < .04) the
percentage of lipid. Pigs fed CrP also had a decreased
( P < .004) percentage of lipid in the dissected carcass
muscle. Water, protein, and ash from the dissected
muscle were not different between treatments. These
results suggest that CrP supplementation throughout
the entire growing-finishing phase increases the total
gain and accretion rate of muscle while decreasing the
total gain and accretion rate of fat. This results in
carcasses with an increased percentage of muscle and
decreased percentage of fat.