Effects of cassava meal on carcass characteristics and cholesterol of growing pig

Twenty growing pigs with an average initial weight of 20.00 + 0.5 kg were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments in a completely randomized  design with two replicates per treatment and two animals in each replicate. Cassava Plant Meal (CPM) prepared from sundried unpeeled cassava tubers, leaves and tender cassava stems, mixed at ratio 3:1 of unpeeled tuber meal to cassava leaf meal plus tender stem meal with the ratio of  cassava leaf meal to tender stem meal as 5:1 was included in balanced rations at graded levels of 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 percent in a fifty-six days feeding trials. The experimental pigs were weighed before and after slaughtering, dressing percent was evaluated and carcass length and back fat depth were measured on treatment basis. Meat samples were collected at the ribs (2nd and 3rd and also 12th and 13th) for cholesterol analysis. The 50 % CPM diet produced the heaviest slaughter weight. There was no significant (p >0.05) difference in the dressing percentage of pigs across dietary treatments although pigs on the control diet dressed well while pigs on 100 % CPM dressed the poorest. The 100 % CPM diet induced the  leanest carcass. All the carcass and organ measurements were significantly (p <0.05) affected by dietary treatments. There was non-significant (p >0.05) influence of dietary treatments on total and high density lipoprotein cholesterol although the 50 % CPM diet produced the least and highest  values respectively. Low density and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol were significantly (p <0.05) affected by dietary treatments. Replacement of maize by varying levels of cassava plant meal diets enhanced production of leaner carcass. Keywords: Alternative feedstuff; low-fat pork; maiz