Inclusion of high oil corn (HOC) in

Inclusion of high oil corn (HOC) in finishing pig diets offers the swine industry an economically feasible means of increasing the energy density of diets (Adams and Jensen, 1987; Adeola and Bajjalieh, 1997).
Unfortunately, adverse pork quality can result from pigs consuming diets composed of supplemented fat, often high in PUFA (Gatlin et al., 2002).
The added fat may be more susceptible to oxidation and lead to the development of off-flavors and loss of color and nutrient values (Pearson et al., 1983) and is a major problem in the development of new convenience meat products and processes (Gray and Pearson, 1987).
To alleviate the possibility of greater lipid oxidation in products from such feeding strategies, investigators have proposed adding antioxidants to high fat diets.
Pearson et al. (1977) summarized the results of several attempts to increase lipid stability in meat by adding vitamin E (VE, α-tocopherol acetate) to diets.
Vitamin E is a membrane-associated antioxidant that can effectively protect the vulnerable unsaturated fatty acids in cell membranes and plasma lipoproteins from oxidizing agents, both endogenous and exogenous (McCay et al., 1971; Diplock and Lucy, 1973).
Incorporation of tocopherol into the lipoprotein matrix of cell membranes can
maintain cellular integrity and protect unsaturated fatty acids (USFA) from oxidation by free radicals (Tappel, 1962).
The amount and type of USFA in the tissues, as well as the relative abundance of pro- and antioxidants influence the susceptibility of meats to lipid oxidation (Monahan et al., 1993; Gatellier et al., 2000). Therefore, the source of fat in the diet and the amount of dietary VE will affect the oxidative stability of muscle and adipose tissue.
Dietary VE supplementation in finishing diets may offer an effective means for incorporating an
antioxidant in cell membranes, which would stabilize tissues containing elevated levels of USFA (Buckley et al., 1989; Monahan et al., 1992).
Feeding pigs HOC and beef tallow is a common practice in the industry.
However, little or no information is available regarding the effects of VE on pork quality characteristics when pigs are fed high oil diets (HOC or HOC plus fat, or both).
Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of VE supplementation on pork quality in pigs fed high oil diets.