Associação de ractopamina e vitaminas antioxidantes para suínos em terminação

The objective of the study was to evaluate the inclusion of ractopamine and its association with the antioxidant vitamins C and E in finishing pig diets during 28 days prior to slaughter on the performance, carcass traits and meat quality. Forty-eight Agroceres PIC line swine (24 barrows and 24 females) distributed in a randomized blocks factorial design in 3x2 (3 diets: control; control+10ppm of ractopamine; control + complex (0.05%) ractopamine with antioxidant vitamins (10ppm of ractopamine + 200mg of vitamin E+100mg of vitamin C kg-1 of feed) and 2 sex (barrows and females). The feed intake, body weight gain and feed conversion were evaluated. When pigs reached 100.81±7.81kg body weight, they were slaughtered and carcasses were evaluated. Samples of Longissimus dorsi muscle were taken to evaluate the meat quality. Diets with ractopamine improved (P<0.05) feed conversion in pigs, carcass conformation and final pH. The lipid oxidation decreased with the diet (ractopamine+vitamin) in relation to the control diet (0.10mg kg-1 vs 0.13mg kg-1 TBARS). The marbling was higher (P<0.05) in the diet (control + ractopamine) in relation to the control diet. The levels of vitamin E in the muscle were higher in pigs that were fed with antioxidant vitamins (0.23 vs 0.08mg kg-1 vit. E). It was concluded that the inclusion of ractopamine associated or not to antioxidant vitamins improved feed conversion ratio of animals and reduces the lipid oxidation in meat