Ractopamine is the active ingredient in Paylean® and is known to stimulate muscle growth and inhibit lipid deposition. The impact on the eating quality of pork are unclear and few studies include taste evaluation. It is crucial to have the consumers acceptance of the pork so eating quality must be measured. Meat quality parameters did not differ when fed 10 or 20 ppm ractopamine. Visual colour scores, drip loss and pH were unaffected. Some changes in colour scores were significant but their impact is uncertain for consumer preference. Ractopamine had no effect on marbling which has had mixed results in the past. Loin-eye area improvement and decrease in back fat was noted. Less tender pork seems to be produced with a larger effect on gilts compared to barrows. Inclusion of ractopamine at 5 ppm did not impact acceptability.
Effect of Ractopamine in Finishing Diets – Meat Quality (full article)
