Abstract
Olive pulp belongs to agro-industrial by-products, and its addition into livestock diets generally result in neutral or positive effects on performance. However, the data concerning the effects of olive by-products on pork meat characteristics are scarce. The aim of this preliminary study was therefore to examine the effects of dried olive pulp (DOP) dietary supplementation on quality parameters and oxidative stability of pig meat. Twenty finishing pigs were allocated to two groups: C that was provided with a control diet, and DOP that was fed with an isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diet supplemented with dried olive pulp at the level of 50 g/kg or 5%. As indicated, cold carcass weight, pH, lightness, redness, cooking loss, and tenderness were not influenced by DOP inclusion. Only meat yellowness (a*) was significantly decreased in DOP meat samples. Moreover, meat oxidation values tended to decrease in the DOP group after one day, but no further differences were observed after four, six, and eight days of refrigerated storage. It can be concluded that DOP dietary supplementation could be recommended as a feasible approach, especially in the Mediterranean region to reduce diet formulation costs, while no significant side effects on pork meat quality are observed.