Effects of dietary components including garlic on concentrations of skatole and indole in subcutaneous fat of female pigs

The results reported here showed that threshold concentrations of skatole and indole in rice-bran oil for Singaporean consumers were 0.028 μg/g and 0.051 μg/g, respectively, and that skatole and indole levels in subcutaneous fat of pigs can be affected by diet. In Experiment A, 31 female pigs were fed with diets based on plant products only (P) or plant plus animal by-products (AP), with added levels of garlic essential oil from zero to 2.15 g/kg feed. Concentrations of skatole and indole increased with increasing garlic concentration (P < 0.001). In Experiment B, P and AP diets were fed to 47 female pigs with different dietary lipid sources (fish oil, tallow, and a mix of linseed oil and soya oil). Skatole and indole concentrations were higher in backfat of pigs fed with the AP diet (P < 0.05), but were unaffected by the type of lipid.