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The study was conducted in the conditions of the scientific and economic Department of the Institute of pig breeding and agro-industrial production of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in order to establish the impact of feeding walnuts on the productive qualities, morphological composition of carcasses and the quality of meat and fat products of pigs of the revived mirgorod breed.

The results of the experiment show that the introduction of walnuts into the diet of fattening young animals contributed to an increase in the intensity of growth and development of animals. The average daily live weight gain in pigs of the experimental groups exceeded the indicators of the control group by 2.75% and 6.91%, respectively. At the same time, there was an improvement in feed conversion, which indicates an increase in the efficiency of nutrient use. With almost the same pre-slaughter live weight, the slaughter yield in experimental animals was higher by 1.40% and 3.92% compared to the control. The length of pig carcasses in the experimental groups exceeded the control indicators by 1.57% and 1.64 %, while the thickness of lard was less by 5.48% and 8.45 % (p < 0.05), which indicates the formation of a more meat-like type of carcass. The area of the “muscle eye” in pigs of the experimental groups exceeded the control by 1.1 mm and 2.1 mm, which reflects a tendency to increase the proportion of muscle tissue in the carcass structure. Thus, the use of walnuts in feeding contributes to a more intensive growth of muscle mass, which is the most valuable component of slaughter products. It was found that in pigs that consumed nuts, the content of intramuscular fat significantly exceeded the control values — by 0.26 % (p=0.05) and 0.5 % (p=0.05), which positively affects the taste properties of meat. The results of organoleptic analysis showed that the broth obtained from pig meat of the experimental groups had better indicators in appearance, aroma and richness of taste. This indicates the expediency of using walnuts as a natural feed additive to improve the organoleptic properties of meat and lard products. The revealed changes in the biochemical composition of meat indicate the possible influence of walnut components on metabolic processes in muscle tissue, in particular on the state of the pro-oxidant-antioxidant system of the animal body. Feeding walnuts to pigs of the revived mirgorod breed has a positive effect on their productivity, morphological indicators of carcasses and the quality of meat and fat products. The results obtained give grounds to recommend the use of walnuts as a feed additive in the diets of fattening young animals in order to increase the biological and consumer value of meat products.

 

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