Effect of dietary linseed on the nutritional value and quality of pork and pork products: Systematic review and meta-analysis

• A meta-analysis on dietary linseed and pork nutritional quality was conducted.
• Dietary linseed increases n-3 fatty acid content in pork tissues.
• These data have application for the design of functional foods.

Nutritional quality of pork is a significant factor for consumers' health. Feeding n-3 PUFA to pigs, using linseed, improves pork nutritional quality. A meta-analysis involving 1006 pigs reported in 24 publications was carried out to assess the effects of dietary linseed on alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) content in muscle and adipose tissue. Data showed positive effects of n-3 PUFA on muscle fatty acid composition: ALA + 137%, EPA + 188%, DPA + 51% and DHA + 12%. Same results were observed in adipose tissue: ALA + 297%, EPA + 149%, DPA + 88% and DHA + 18%. A positive correlation between dietary treatment and ALA and EPA content in muscle (P < 0.001) and adipose tissue (P = 0.036) was observed. A significant association between DPA (P = 0.04) and DHA (P = 0.011) and live weight in muscle was observed. Feeding linseed to pig improves the nutritional pork quality, raising the n-3 PUFA content in muscle and adipose tissue.