Influence of Feeding Frequency on Lipogenesis and Enzymatic Activity of Adipose Tissue and on the Performance of Pigs2

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Abstract
The effects of feeding frequency (one 2-hr, meal per day, “meal-eaters” vs. ad lib. feeding, “nibblers”) on the in vitro lipogenic capacity and pentose pathway dehydrogenase and malic enzyme activity of pig adipose tissue were studied. The effects of these two feeding schedules on over-all performance and carcass quality were also evaluated. The results indicated that adipose tissue biopsies of subcutaneous back fat can readily be obtained and used for in vitrostudies. Meal-feeding did not significantly influence the lipogenic rate or the activity of the enzymes studied in the adipose tissue samples. However the meal-fed animals did have less kidney fat and lower values for back fat thickness and fat trim than their nibbling pair mates. Food conversion efficiency was also slightly superior for the meal-fed animals. As previously observed for rats and chicks, meal-feeding induced a hypertrophy of the stomach and small intestine. There were indications that the lipogenic capacity and the activity of certain enzymes of pig adipose tissue decreased with age. Several suggestions, all open to direct experimentation, are advanced to explain the absence of a lipogenic response to meal-feeding in the pig. Of these, the most plausible is that, as a consequence of the slow rate of food passage in the pig, the animal does not reach the post-absorptive state between meals and, consequently, the physiological need for a hyperlipogenic state is not produced. Copyright © 1969. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1969 by American Society of Animal Science

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