Dietary β‐cyclodextrin reduces the cholesterol levels in meats and backfat of finishing pigs

BACKGROUND: A hypocholesterolemic effect of β‐cyclodextrin (βCD) has been recently reported in various animals. This study was performed to determine the effect of dietary βCD on hypocholesterolemic effect, and its relationship to bile acid changes of 120 finishing pigs fed a commercial diet containing 0%, 5%, 7%, or 10% βCD for 30 days before slaughter. RESULTS: Plasma total lipids, triacylglyceride, and total cholesterol of βCD supplemented pigs were lower (P < 0.05) than the control pigs. When 5%, 7%, or 10% βCD was supplemented to pigs, cholesterol levels of the plasma were reduced by 26.0%, 28.2%, and 31.3%, respectively. Excretion of total sterol increased (P < 0.05) with increasing βCD supplementation and the composition of excreted bile acid was significantly altered in pigs fed βCD. The cholesterol levels of pig backfat, belly, loin, and ham were reduced as βCD supplementation increased (P < 0.05) in the diet. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that supplementing the finishing diet of swine with βCD resulted in reducing not only circulating lipids and cholesterol but also cholesterol level of pork lean meat and fat, and may provide the method of low‐cholesterol pork production to the swine industry. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry