Effect of Dietary Supplementation with Processed Sulfur on Meat Quality and Oxidative Stability in Longissimus dorsi of Pigs

The effects of dietary supplementation of processed sulfur in pigs according to the level provided during the fattening phase were examined. The pigs were divided into three groups: control (CON), non-sulfur fed pigs; T1, 0.1% processed sulfur fed pigs; T2, 0.3% processed sulfur fed pigs. Physicochemical and sensory properties, as well as meat quality and oxidative stability of the Longissimus dorsi muscle were investigated. The feeding of processed sulfur did not affect moisture and protein contents (p>0.05). However, the crude fat content of T2 was significantly decreased compared to CON (p<0.05), while the pH value of T2 was significantly higher than those of both CON and T1 (p<0.05). Cooking loss and expressible drip of T2 were also significantly lower than that of CON (p<0.05). The redness of meat from T1 was significantly higher than both CON and T2 (p<0.01). During storage, lipid oxidation of the meat from sulfur fed pigs (Ti and T2) was inhibited compared to CON. Examination of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids revealed T2 to have significantly higher content than CON (p<0.05). In the sensory test, the juiciness and overall acceptability of T2 recorded higher scores than CON. This study demonstrated that meat from 0.3% processed sulfur fed pigs had improved nutrition and quality, with extended shelf-life.