The effects of different concentrations of dietary oregano essential oil supplementation on finishing pig
meat characteristics were investigated in the present study. Thirty-two barrows and thirty-two gilts were
divided into four equal groups. During the experimental period, which started when the animals were
5 months old and finished after 35 days, the first group was fed the control diet (group C), whereas the
other three groups consumed the same diet, with the only difference that the feed was supplemented
with oregano essential oil at concentrations of 0.25, 0.5 and 1 ml/kg of fed diet (groups OR1, OR2 and
OR3, respectively). At the end of the experiment, pigs were fasted for 12 h, weighed and slaughtered.
After overnight chilling, a 50 cm loin section was removed from the half of the carcasses (8 pigs per nutritional
treatment; 4 barrows and 4 gilts) and transported to laboratory for further examination.
No significant differences were observed after dietary oregano essential oil supplementation in final
body weight (kg), body weight gain (g) and dressing out (%). Tenderness of longissimus muscle, expressed
as shear force value, pH values at 45 min and 24 h postmortem, colour parameters and sensory attributes
of eating quality were not significantly influenced by the dietary treatment. Moreover, the lipid oxidation
results suggested a lack of antioxidant effect for the oregano essential oil. In conclusion, carcass and meat
quality attributes were unchanged, indicating that the dietary administration of different levels of oregano
essential oil did not exert any effect on pig meat parameters in the present experiment.