7/21/99

Contacts:
J. Christopher Sparks, Animal Science, (515) 294-2286
Bryon Weigand, Animal Science, (515) 294-1548
F.C. Parrish, Animal Science, (515) 294-3280
Ed Adcock, Agriculture Information, (515) 294-2314

FEEDING CLA BOOSTS PIG PERFORMANCE AND IMPROVES PORK

INDIANAPOLIS -- Feeding pigs a natural fatty acid decreased backfat and increased loin eye muscle area, according to Iowa State University researchers.

In the 1980s, food scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison discovered several human health benefits of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a fatty acid found in animal products. Iowa State formed a CLA Research Interest Group in 1998 and has been feeding the fatty acid to animals to study any effects.

J. Christopher Sparks, ISU graduate student in swine nutrition, and Bryon Weigand, ISU graduate student in meat science, reported on results of feeding CLA to pigs at the national meeting of the American Society of Animal Science, July 21-23.

The experiment involved one group of pigs that was fed CLA for the entire growing-finishing period, equivalent to about 191 pounds of gain. Another group was fed the fatty acid for the final 128 pounds of gain and another for the last 64 pounds of gain. A control group was fed a diet that substituted soybean oil for CLA to ensure the same energy levels in the feed.

The greatest benefits occurred in pigs that were fed CLA starting at 110 to 120 pounds (the group that was fed CLA for the final 128 pounds of gain), said Sparks.

Overall, the pigs fed CLA had 25 percent less backfat measured at the 10th rib and a 10 percent increase in loin eye muscle area. Weigand said any time you can increase leanness even a percentage point is significant and potentially increases premiums paid to producers.

Gain-to-feed ratio increased for those pigs fed CLA for the final 64 and 128 pounds of weight gain. Average daily gain and feed intake were not affected in any of the groups, confirming previous CLA studies at ISU.

"There is an optimum length of time to feed CLA to pigs, but producers will have to look at their systems, the genetics of their herds and the concentration of CLA," Sparks said. For example, leaner hogs didn't have as much decrease in backfat, he said.

Besides its promise in improving pork quality, CLA also may benefit pork processing, the researchers said. The degree of fat saturation in CLA-fed pork is greater, which could potentially increase shelf life.

Sparks and Weigand said CLA's benefits to the pig's performance and pork have been documented, but the next step is to study if feeding the fatty acid will be cost effective. The CLA used in the experiments was derived from sunflower oil and provided by a company in Norway. Sparks reported that in its oil form, CLA was easy to mix with feed.

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