EN
The effect of nettle extract supplement for fattening pig feed on meat quality was assessed on 42 pigs initially weighing about 60 kg and about 110 kg at the end of the experiment. All pigs were fed with a standard finisher feed mixture with no supplement in group I (control) and supplemented with 500 mg or 1000 mg of nettle extract per 1 kg of feed in groups II and III, respectively. Commercial water extract from common nettle containing 5.6 mg of tannins per 1 kg was used as a supplement. The meat of pigs receiving a higher dose of extract contained significantly more protein and less fat than those from both remaining groups. A supplement of nettle extract increased the lightness of meat and stabilized meat color for 6 months of storage at 20°C. Moreover, it slightly improved meat oxidative stability during frozen storage and raised polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content mainly due to diminishing monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) content. It was claimed that water extract from nettle had a positive effect on meat quality improving oxidative stability and the polyunsaturated / saturated fatty acids ratio.