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Potassium Content of the Porcine Body and Carcass at 23, 46, 68 and 91 Kilograms Live Weight^1,2,

Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana

Abstract

Forty-eight crossbred barrow pigs were utilized to study potassium content of live animal, carcass, offal, muscle, separable fat and bone of the porcine body at 23, 46, 68 and 91 kg. live weight. Both whole body counting and chemical methods were utilized in estimating potassium contents. As estimated by whole body counting, potassium content of the live pig, carcass and offal increased at a slower rate than did their respective weights. Consequently, total grams potassium increased while grams potassium per kilogram (gm. K/kg.) weight decreased as live weight increased. The data suggested that, at some point early in the life of the pig, the amount of potassium in the skeleton becomes relatively constant.

When potassium concentration was expressed as gm. K/kg. fat-free tissue, gm. K/kg. fat-free dry tissue or mg. K/gm. protein, the total variation was greatly reduced. Breed main effect and breed by weight group interaction were virtually eliminated as sources of variance. Effect of weight group was greatly reduced but, in general, remained a significant (P<.05) source of variation. Concentrations of potassium in separable fat and bone were lower than concentration of potassium in muscle on any of the above bases.

With increasing weight, a higher proportion of total potassium in the carcass was found in the muscle. Changes in distribution of potassium associated with maturation would tend to explain higher correlations of potassium content with estimates of body composition at higher live weights. The failure of potassium to maintain a constant relationship with other chemical constituents (moisture, ether-extractable constituents and protein) from one type tissue to another and from one weight to another is implicated as a major factor contributing to inaccuracies associated with estimation of body composition from potassium content.

¹ Purdue University Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Paper No. 3390. A contribution from the Department of Animal Sciences.

² This research was partially supported by Grant AM 05551-04 of the National Institutes of Health.

³ Present address: Division of Nuclear Medicine and Biophysics, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee.

⁴ Department of Bionucleonics, School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences.