Compositional Features and Nutritional Value of Pig Brain: Potential and Challenges as a Sustainable Source of Nutrients

Abstract

The goal of this study was to establish the nutritional value and compositional properties of the brains of crossbred pigs (Landrace–Large white–Duroc (LLD)), in order to realize the zero-waste concept and increase the use of by-products in the sustainable meat industry. Fat (9.25% fresh weight (fw)) and protein (7.25% fw) were the principal dry matters of pig brain, followed by carbohydrate and ash. Phospholipid and cholesterol had a 3:1 ratio. Pig brain had a red tone (L* = 63.88, a* = 5.60, and b* = 15.43) and a high iron content (66 mg/kg) due to a total heme protein concentration of 1.31 g/100 g fw. The most prevalent macro-element was phosphorus (14 g/kg), followed by potassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium. Zinc, copper, and manganese were among the other trace elements discovered. The most prevalent nitrogenous constituents were alkali-soluble protein, followed by water-soluble protein, stromal protein, salt-soluble protein, and non-protein nitrogen. Essential amino acids were abundant in pig brain (44% of total amino acids), particularly leucine (28.57 mg/g protein), threonine, valine, and lysine. The total lipid, neutral, and polar lipid fractions of the pig brain had different fatty acid compositions. The largest amount was observed in saturated fatty acids (SFA), followed by monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Stearic acid and palmitic acid were the most common SFA. Oleic acid was the most prevalent MUFA, while docosahexaenoic acid was the most common PUFA. Thus, the pig brain can be used in food formulations as a source of nutrients.

Nutritional Characterization of Edible Viscera of an Autochthonous Swine Breed of Assam, India

“…Among the edible viscera determined, large intestine had the highest fat content (9.85%), followed by kidney (2.28%), heart (1.16%), liver (1.12%), small intestine (0.58%) and spleen (0.47%). The present study had similar data with that of fat content of crossbred pigs of Thailand (Chanted et al, 2021). Another study reported high amount of fat content in large intestine (19.54%), followed by heart (4.55%) and lowest in spleen (0.97%) (Seong et al, 2014), which was similar with our study, even though contents were high.…”

“…Spleen and small intestine had the highest moisture content (68.47% and 64.72%, respectively), while kidney, heart and liver had significantly lower moisture contents (61.93%, 55.25% and 50.67% respectively). Also the crossbred pigs of Thailand had high moisture content (79.96%) than the present study (Chanted et al, 2021). Another study by Seong et al, (2014), determined the proximate content in pork-by products of crossbred pigs (Landrace×Yorkshire×Duroc) of South Korea, when they found high content of moisture with an overall mean value of 76.38%.…”

Detection and Semi‐Quantification of Lipids on High‐Performance Thin‐Layer Chromatography Plate Using Ceric Ammonium Molybdate Staining

“…This is likely the result of the dominance of saturated phospholipids in the sample. As reported by others, [42] saturated lipids exist in larger percentage in porcine brain. They will co-elute with the unsaturated lipids in the same class under our TLC conditions (the R f s and shapes of the phospholipids in the lipid extracts were the same as the reference phospholipid standards) but have much lower sensitivity, therefore their presence was largely unaccounted for in our analysis.…”

Recovery of Functional Proteins from Pig Brain Using pH-Shift Processes

“…In actuality, some countries use high-nutrient by-products such as heart, liver, blood, lung, spleen, kidney, tripe, and brains in their cuisines [ 6 ]. Despite the fact that pig brain is a common by-product of slaughtering and pork processing, it has yet to be widely employed, particularly for human consumption [ 10 ]. Furthermore, there is no academic understanding on how to increase the value of pig brain.…”