Use of coconut meal in slaughter pig diets

Abstract

In this experiment, the swine bioeconomic performance and carcass characteristics, due to coconut meal (FC) inclusion in diets, were evaluated. Twenty hybrid barrows, Landrace x Large White, with average weight of 19.7±2.9kg, at the beginning of diet supply, were used and slaughtered after 12 weeks with average weight of 89.2±5.2 kg and 149 days of age. The experiment was established at Escola Agrotecnica Federal in Sousa-PB. Increasing levels of coconut meal (0%, 10%, 20% and 30%) replaced partially hominy feed and soybean meal in isoproteic, isocaloric and isolisinic diets. It was used a randomized block design with four treatments and five repetitions. The parameters evaluated were: feed consumption, final and slaughter weight, hot and cold carcass weights, gross income and gross margin per carcass, percentage of weight loss due to chilling, hot and cold carcass yield and yields of main cuts (ham, sirloin, shoulder+picnic, belly+ribs and boston butt), backfat thickness, loineye area, carcass length and lean to fat ratio. It was concluded that 22.8 % of coconut meal may be included in slaughter swine diets, replacing partially hominy feed and soybean meal.