Effects of dietary ramie powder at various levels on growth performance, antioxidative capacity and fatty acid profile of finishing pigs

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of ramie (Boehmeria nivea, previously known as a fibre crop and also called “China grass”) included in diets on growth performance, antioxidative capacity and muscular fatty acid profile of finishing pigs. A total of 180 Xiangcun Black pigs (initial body weight =70.71 ± 1.21 kg) were randomly allotted to 1 of 5 dietary treatments with six pens of six pigs per pen. The pigs were provided a basal diet or a diet contained 3%, 6%, 9% or 12% of ramie powder during a 50‐day experiment period. The results showed that the inclusion of ramie increased (quadratic, p