The influence of creatine and a high glycemic carbohydrate on the growth performance and meat quality of market hogs fed ractopamine hydrochloride

Crossbred barrows (n = 128; 85 ± 0.91 kg) were randomly allotted to one of four dietary treatments. A pelleted corn-soybean diet containing 5 ppm Paylean® (PAY) was tested against a negative control (NCON) diet formulated to meet or exceed the National Research Council’s requirements for the growing pig, a pelleted corn-soybean diet containing 0.92% creatine and 2.75% dextrose (COMBO), and a pelleted corn-soybean diet containing a combination of 5 ppm Paylean®, 0.92% creatine, and 2.75% dextrose (PAYPLUS). No treatment differences were noted when comparing ADG (P = 0.66) and hot carcass weight (P = 0.75). Over the 27 d test, barrows fed PAY and PAYPLUS produced loins with a larger (P < 0.01) loin muscle area (LMA) than those fed NCON or COMBO diets. Barrows fed the NCON diet were fatter at the 10th-rib (P < 0.01) than those animals fed the remaining dietary treatments. Dietary treatment did not affect the ultimate pH (P = 0.87), Japanese color score (P = 0.25) or Minolta L∗ (P = 0.61) and b∗ (P = 0.56) values of the loin. Loin chops from NCON, COMBO and PAYPLUS tended (P = 0.07) to contain a higher intramuscular fat content than those from barrows fed PAY. Additionally, loin chops from the NCON and COMBO fed animals were more red (higher a∗-value) than those chops coming from animals fed the PAY diet (P < 0.01).