Abstract
With the escalating prices of conventional feed ingredients, there is an urgent requirement to investigate sustainable alternatives that have the potential to improve performance, carcass yield, and meat quality. Twenty-four growing pigs (mixed sexes) were utilized to assess the carcass and sensory attributes of pork derived from pigs fed a diet incorporating processed Avocado (Persea americana) seed meal. The pigs were divided into four groups of six, and further replicated thrice with two pigs each, following a completely randomized design. The feeding trial spanned 70 days, during which the pigs were randomly allocated to one of the four dietary treatments containing 0 %, 2.5 %, 5 %, and 7.5 %, and designated as T1, T2, T3, and T4 respectively. At the end of the study, eight pigs (two per treatment) were randomly selected for carcass assessment. The results revealed a noteworthy increase in carcass yield with significant differences (p<0.05) between pigs in treatment 3, followed by treatments 2 and 4, which did not exhibit significant differences (p>0.05), whereas pigs in treatment 1 displayed the lowest carcass yield. Significant differences (p<0.05) were observed in primal cuts (except for the chump chop), with treatment 3 yielding the highest values, followed by treatments 2, 1, and 4, respectively. Organ weights showed no significant differences (p>0.05), suggesting that the inclusion of Avocado seed meal did not adversely affect the organs. There was a decrease in abdominal fat with increasing levels of Avocado seed meal, while the meat-to-bone ratio increased in treatment 3, followed by treatment 2, with treatment 1 exhibiting the least increase. The sensory evaluation revealed notable differences (p<0.05) in all assessed parameters, except for colour. Treatment 3 displayed significantly higher values across all parameters. Overall acceptability scores positioned treatment 3 as the highest, followed by treatment 2, while treatments 4 and 1 received the lowest scores. In conclusion, incorporating processed avocado seed meal at a 5% dietary inclusion level improved both the carcass attributes and sensory quality of pork.