Added fat increases the energy content of swine diets, but it may also affect the digestibility of nutrients. Hans H. Stein, professor of animal sciences at the University of Illinois, and a team of researchers have studied the effects of fat sources with different concentrations of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids on mineral digestibility.

“In pigs, addition of soybean oil to the diets has been shown not to reduce calcium digestibility. However, some studies in pigs and humans have observed the formation of indigestible calcium-fat complexes,” says Stein. “These studies used fats that were more saturated than soybean oil.”

Therefore, Stein and his team set out to determine the effect of the relative concentrations of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids on the apparent total tract digestibility of minerals in diets fed to pigs.

Research findings • Supplementing pig diets with either saturated or unsaturated fat increases the digestibility of calcium, phosphorus, and sulfur in the diets. • Adding supplemental fat does not decrease the digestibility of any minerals. • Fat quality may affect the digestibility of minerals.

Five sources of supplemental fat were tested. Soybean oil and corn oil contained about 15% SFA, 26% MUFA and 57% PUFA. Palm oil and beef tallow contained about 46% SFA, 42% MUFA and 6% PUFA. The final fat source, choice white grease, contained 39% SFA, 43% MUFA and 13% PUFA.

The apparent total tract digestibility of calcium, phosphorus and sulfur was increased in pigs fed diets containing soybean oil, corn oil, palm oil or tallow compared with pigs fed diets containing no added fat or choice white grease. Added fat did not affect the ATTD of potassium, manganese, sodium or zinc, although there was a tendency for magnesium digestibility to be greater in pigs fed diets containing soybean oil or corn oil, compared with pigs fed diets containing tallow or choice white grease.

“The implication of this experiment is that producers can include added fat, whether saturated or unsaturated, in diets for pigs without creating a reduction in digestibility of calcium or other minerals,” says Stein. “However, in the case of choice white grease, there was some indication that it had been oxidized, and oxidation may reduce mineral digestibility.”

Stein says this observation warrants further investigation.

Funding for this research was provided by AB Vista Feed Ingredients of Marlborough, UK.

The paper, “Effects of tallow, choice white grease, palm oil, corn oil, or soybean oil on apparent total tract digestibility of minerals in diets fed to growing pigs,” was published in a recent issue of the Journal of Animal Science. It was co-authored by Laura Merriman and Carl Parsons of the University of Illinois, and Carrie Walk of AB Vista. The full text can be found online.

This Giving Tuesday, the Pork Checkoff is encouraging pig farmers to pay-it-forward with a new holiday campaign called #HamsAcrossAmerica. This first-annual event encourages farmers and others involved in the pork industry to show their appreciation for friends, family and neighbors through the gift of ham — in the form of gifts or donations of ham or ham-based products.

“For pig farmers, volunteering at community events and participating in local fundraisers, has always been a part of what makes us who we are,” says Brad Greenway, 2016 America’s Pig Farmer of the Year, from Mitchell, S.D. “Hams Across America allows farmers to not only live the We Care ethical principles, but also share their love of the product that they produce.”

Pig farmers are encouraged to extend Giving Tuesday through Dec. 23 with Hams Across America by simply purchasing a gift of ham and paying-it-forward. Participants are also encouraged to share their pay-it-forward stories on social media using #RealPigFarming and #HamsAcrossAmerica.

The Wisconsin Pork Association has recently made a donation of $10,000 to the new University of Wisconsin-Madison Meat Science Lab. In addition, the WPA Board challenged members to make individual contributions, resulting in an additional $5,000 raised.

“The WPA Board is excited about the possibilities that the new meats’ lab will present to the livestock industry in the state of Wisconsin,” says Bill Gnatzig, WPA president. “The lab will further expand teaching and research abilities at UW-Madison, benefiting students, livestock producers and consumers. Those possibilities include a growing focus on biotechnology, animal and human medicine. Further research of these areas creates the potential to add more value to pigs raised by our Wisconsin farmers.”

“The Department of Animal Sciences faculty is excited as we move into the construction phase of the new Meat Science Building. The new building will dramatically improve our teaching, research, and outreach programs in the meat sciences and will provide a positive stimulus to other discipline groups in our department which focus on meat animal food production,” says Tom Crenshaw, Animal Science Chair, UW-Madison College of Agriculture and Life Science. “The new facility is the largest construction project undertaken by our department since the Animal Sciences Building was built in the early 1970s. The new Meat Science Building would not have been possible without the generous gifts, such as that provided by the Wisconsin Pork Association and numerous meat industry organizations. We are grateful for the support.”

The mission of the new facility is to:

♦ Train the next generation of meat industry leaders with cutting edge technologies;

♦ Support innovative research interests through interdisciplinary collaborative efforts;

♦ Provide outreach education to foster the production of wholesome meat products for the consuming public; and

♦ Support the economic development of the meat industry.

Construction of the 67,540-square-foot Meat Science Laboratory is scheduled to begin in July, with occupancy slated for spring 2018. It will be built at 1930 Linden Drive, on the former site of the Seed Building. The total project cost is $45.7 million. The state has contributed $22.8 million, which was approved in the 2013-15 Wisconsin State Budget. UW-Madison and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences have raised $22.9 million from private donations, and an additional $4 million is still needed to be raised. Anyone interested in making a contribution to the campaign can contact Andrea Engebretson, University of Wisconsin Foundation, at 608-308-5312.