Meat quality in pigs fed diets with gradual ractopamine supplementation and nutritional adjustments

This study evaluated the effects that gradual ractopamine supplementation in diets with nutritional adjustments on pig meat. Were used 80 finishing crossbred barrows in a randomized block design with a 2×5 factorial arrangement (two diets: with and without nutritional adjustment; five levels of ractopamine supplementation: 5-5, 10-10, 20-20, 5-10 and 10-20 ppm) in the 14 initial and 14 final study days, four replicates with two animals by experimental unit. Higher shear force values (P