Qualità carcasse migliorata con l'orzo in razione

[Autom. eng. transl.] : A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of diets based on varieties of bare or dressed barley, normal or low in amylose on the growth performance of typical Italian pigs. The study was carried out on 40 females and 40 castrated males (Duroc Italiano x Large White Italiano). 4 diets were formulated: 1) Corn-based diet (control); 2) Diet with 80% of a variety (Comet) of barley dressed with normal amylose content); 3) Diet with 80% of a variety (Astartis) of bare barley with normal amylose content); and 4) Diet with 80% of a variety (Alamo) of bare barley with low amylose content). The diets were formulated according to 3 growth phases (P1, 40 - 80; P2, 80 - 120; and P3, 120 - 170 kg pv), with the same Lys: ED ratio (2.60, 2.20, and 1.80, respectively for P1, P2, and P3) according to NRC requirements for P1 and P2, and according to the needs of high performance pigs for P3. The diets were analyzed for their potential digestibility of starch (glycemic index prediction, pGI) and for the content in resistant starch (RS). In P1, P2, and P3, Alamo diets had the lowest RS content and the highest pGI values, while the control diet had the highest RS content and the lowest pGI value. The pigs that received the Cometa and Alamo diets had higher growths (P <0.01) than the maize controls, while the pigs that received the Astartis diets grew in equal amounts compared to all other diets. The Cometa and Alamo animals achieved higher final weights (P <0.01) than the controls. No difference was found in the carcass characteristics between treatments (P> 0.05). The study shows that diets based on both barley and naked both low and high in amylose can be used to feed heavy pigs as a total substitute for corn, maximizing growth performance without affecting the characteristics of the carcass.