Effects of detoxified Jatropha curcas kernel meal in finishing pig diets on their performance, carcass traits, meat quality and intoxication

Jatropha meal, produced as co-product of biodiesel production process, can be used in animal diets as a feedstuff. Hence, the purpose of this study was to evaluate effects of increasing dietary levels (0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8%) of detoxified Jatropha curcas kernel meal (DJCM) on performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and intoxication of bioactive molecules, such as the phorbol esters, by hepatic transaminase enzymes in finishing pigs. Sixty hybrid crossbred pigs (70.7±3.3kg body weight, BW) were assigned to 5 treatments with 6 replicate pens per treatment and 1 castrated male and 1 female per pen in a randomize complete block design. Isoenergetic and isoproteic diets and water were provided ad libitum to the pigs during 30-d growth study. At the end of the experimental period, pigs were slaughtered and hot carcass yield weight, carcass length, backfat thickness, loin eye area, and muscle-to-fat ratio were determined. In addition, blood samples were collected for the analysis of hepatic enzymes, and Longissimus dorsi muscle samples were also collected for the measurement of pH, color, and water drip loss. Increasing dietary levels of DJCM reduced (P<0.001) final BW, ADG, ADFI, and carcass length quadratically, and hot carcass weight and backfat thickness linearly (P<0.05). No effects were observed on meat quality with the dietary inclusion of DJCM. Increasing levels of dietary DJCM showed a negative quadratic effect (P<0.05) on aspartate aminotransferase hepatic enzyme without any effects on alanine aminotransferase. In conclusion, the DJCM decreased growth performance and carcass traits because of the presence of bioactive molecules. Further studies are needed to investigate the effect of bioactive molecules present in DJCM and the possibility of removing those bioactive compounds.