Nutrition’s growing role in pork quality
Dr. Sarah Hough explains how targeted vitamin nutrition can improve pork shelf life, yield and overall meat quality
24 June 2026
2 minute read
By: Dr. Sarah Hough, swine technical expert with dsm-firmenich, recently spoke to The Pig Site’s Sarah Mikesell at the 2026 World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa, USA.
What is dsm’s top area of focus in the swine industry?
Our focus this year is on pork quality. We believe producers understand that what you feed the pig impacts health and performance, but it also impacts pork quality and shelf life.
What are some examples of the connection between pork quality and nutrition?
If certain levels of vitamins are fed optimally, we see an improvement in pork shelf life. An example of an important vitamin for pigs is vitamin E. It's an antioxidant that improves the oxidative stability of pork, reduces drip loss, improves immunity in pigs and expands shelf life.
Hy-D is our unique 25-hydroxy D3 product. We know vitamin D is important for skeletal health and development and immunity, but it also can improve muscle fiber development in piglets, which improves yield and can improve pork quality as well.
Those are just a few examples of vitamins that can improve pork quality.
Another thing we frequently discuss is feed quality. What you feed the pig influences meat quality as well. We also offer solutions that can impact that.
How do producers know if they're feeding at the right level?
We know there are metabolic requirements that pigs need to meet. We have what we call Optimum Vitamin Nutrition (OVN), and we published it about every five years.
Our most recent guidelines were published in 2022 and it outlines levels that are needed beyond basic maintenance, including things that improve performance health and poor quality as well. We have that reference on our website and books are available as well. We also offer recommendations for multiple species, not just swine.
Are modern genetics and the needs of pigs changing over time?
Yes, we're asking the sow to be hyper-prolific, and we need to keep up with her metabolic needs. We're still understanding what that looks like in practice, and we do need to feed her optimum levels of vitamins as well as other nutrients to support her and her litters.
Are the old requirements that people have followed for years keeping pace with pigs’ needs today?
As a veterinarian, I think about health, and we're challenging the immunity with antigens and continuous exposure to make the animal perform and have lactogenic immunity for the piglets. They experience constant stimulation of the immune system.
The hyper-prolific sow has needs that we don't even understand today that have likely changed just in the last decade.
Where can people go to learn more about pork quality?
We'd love to see you here at World Pork Expo in our tent - we're right beside the McDonald's McRig, so everyone knows where we are.
Outside of that, we're on YouTube and other social media platforms. We have some recent “Did You Know" videos that highlight some of our solutions and cover the topics of pork quality, immunity, skeletal health, feed quality and feed preservation. You can also check out dsm-firmenich’s website for more information.
