The Effect of an Antibiotic or a Surfactant on the Growth and Carcass Composition of Swine

Abstract

Significantly increased growth rate was obtained by feeding 7.5 mg. aureomycin hydrochloride per pound of total ration (P<0.01) or 0.26 percent alkyl benzene sulfonate (approached P<0.05) in the ration of growing-fattening swine. No increase in feed efficiency was brought about by the feeding of the antibiotic or the surfactant. The blood from the more rapidly gaining antibiotic-fed or surfactant-fed hogs did not show significantly greater blood lipid than that from control-fed hogs when the blood was taken from all hogs at the same liveweight. Back fat thickness at the first rib was significantly greater at the same kill weight for carcasses from swine which had been fed antibiotics (P<0.01) and for those fed surfactants (P<0.05) than for those carcasses from hogs fed the control ration. The weights of bellies from the carcasses of antibiotic-fed hogs were significantly greater (P<0.05), at the same kill weight, than for bellies from the control animals. Carcasses from antibiotic-fed hogs contained significantly more (P<0.01) fat and significantly less (P<0.01) protein and water than carcasses from the control animals. Carcasses from surfactant-fed hogs likewise contained significantly more (P<0.05) fat and significantly less (P<0.05) protein and water than carcasses from the control animals. Copyright © . .