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Report no. 642

Abstract
Foreign studies of the addition of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) to finisher feed have shown varying positive or neutral results in terms of the effect on daily gain and feed conversion.

Several foreign studies have analysed CLA as an alternative to vegetable fat sources, such as sunflower oil, from which synthetic CLA is normally produced. It is generally found that the addition of CLA to the feed reduces the fat content of the carcass. Some studies have shown that CLA causes the fatty tissue to become more saturated. A trial has never been made under Danish production conditions with Danish breeding stock that are fairly lean (a high lean meat percentage), nor has there ever been a trial in which CLA replaces animal fat.

The aim of this trial was to study the effect of adding conjugated linoleic acid to finisher feed (25-100 kg) as an alternative to animal fat. The trial comprised the following treatments:

Overall, the trial showed that the addition of CLA resulted in a significant increase in productivity due to an increase in the lean meat percentage of approximately 1 percentage unit. The effect was the same regardless of whether 0.5% or 1% CLA was added. Furthermore, the addition of CLA improved the quality of the fatty tissue in the carcass, i.e. the fat became more saturated. This improves the shelf-life and processing quality, and it is particularly interesting in the light of the increasing use of more unsaturated vegetable fat sources in pig feed.

CLA is expensive (DKK87/kg) and cannot realistically be used in the selected doses and periods. Future studies will clarify whether it is possible to reduce the dose and period so that it becomes economically viable to use CLA for finishers. CLA is approved as a feedstuff.

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