EFFECTS OF FEEDING DIETS CONTAINING DIFFERENT FAT SUPPLEMENTS TO SWINE ON THE VISUAL PROPERTIES AND STORAGE STABILITY OF LOW-FAT SAUSAGE

Sixty barrows and gilts were assigned to one of five dietary treatments consisting of a control diet of corn and soybean meal and four similar test diets that contained a 10% replacement of either animal fat, safflower oil, sunflower oil or canola oil, to determine the effects of high levels of oleic acid in the diet of swine on the storage stability of fresh pork sausage. Pork trim from each treatment was used to formulate sausage that contained two fat levels (25% and 35%), and two levels of added water (3% and 11%). Thiobarbituric acid values did not differ between the control, safflower oil or sunflower oil treatments and all treatments were acceptable after 10 weeks of storage. Microbial numbers increased with the level of added water and during time in storage (up to 3 weeks). Visual evaluation showed that the control was the most red and least discolored, while the canola oil treatment was the least red and the most discolored Results from the present study suggest that a 10% replacement of a typical corn/soybean meal diet to swine with safflower or sunflower oil did not alter the storage-stability of fresh pork sausage.