Effects Of Short Term Feeding Of Vitamin D3 On Pork Quality

and Implication We tested the hypothesis that supplemental dietary vitamin D3 could be used to improve tenderness of pork. On the basis of elevation of blood calcium concentration and constant feed intake, we determined that 500,000 IU daily for three days before slaughter was the optimal dosage. This dosage resulted in no improvement in pork tenderness as based on two commonly used tenderness measurements. Several other measures of pork quality were determined, but only one was affected by dietary vitamin D3. Carcasses from the vitamin D3 supplemented pigs had more carcass shrinkage than did those of nonsupplemented pigs. Thus, this initial study indicated that supplemental dietary vitamin D3 does not improve pork tenderness and other measures of pork quality.