# Probiotics and their fermented feed: multi-dimensional effects and mechanistic insights on pork quality

**Authors:** Xien Xiang, Yanbing Zhou, Peiran Cai, Shiqi Liu, Tizhong Shan

PMC · DOI: 10.1186/s40104-025-01327-1 · 2026-01-22

## TL;DR

This review explores how probiotics and fermented feed can improve pork quality by enhancing meat characteristics and nutritional value.

## Contribution

The paper provides a comprehensive summary of recent advances in fermented feed and its effects on pork quality.

## Key findings

- Fermented feed improves meat color, tenderness, and flavor in pork.
- It increases intramuscular fat content and enhances nutritional value.
- The review highlights regulatory mechanisms behind these quality improvements.

## Abstract

Pork is rich in various nutrients and serves as a pivotal source of protein in the human diet, accounting for a substantial portion of worldwide meat consumption. With the rapid development of the national economy and the improvement of people’s living standards, the demand for high-quality meat is continuously increasing. However, the production of high-quality pork still faces critical challenges. At present, improving pork quality through probiotics and their fermented feed has become a hot topic of interest and concern. Fermented feed can enhance pork quality by improving meat color, drip loss, tenderness, flavor, intramuscular fat (IMF) content, and nutritional value. In this review, we summarized and discussed the recent advances in fermentation strains, fermentation technology, fermented feed characteristics, and their effects and regulatory mechanisms on pork quality, aiming to provide a theoretical foundation and technical insights for the application of fermented feed in the production of high-quality pork.

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** Glutathione peroxidase [NCBI Gene 29406143], Catalase [NCBI Gene 29407508], Superoxide dismutase [NCBI Gene 29407825], endoglucanase [NCBI Gene 29405445]
- **Diseases:** Growth arrest (MESH:D006130), type-2 diabetes (MESH:D003924), NDF (MESH:C536560), cancers (MESH:D009369), IBD (MESH:D015212), NSP (MESH:C564877), mastitis (MESH:D008413), tenderness (MESH:D063806), DM (MESH:D015352), fungal (MESH:D009181), dysfunction (MESH:D006331), inflammation (MESH:D007249), IMF (MESH:D006391), muscle (MESH:D019042), water loss (MESH:D000069578), T-AOC (MESH:D001260), ATIC (MESH:C563876), CF (MESH:D003550), cardiovascular diseases (MESH:D002318), ADF (MESH:D000071075), Drip loss (MESH:C000726767), coronary heart disease (MESH:D003327)
- **Chemicals:** C18:2n-6 (MESH:D019787), tannin (MESH:D013634), Met (MESH:D008715), amylic alcohols (-), hemicellulose (MESH:C007916), C20:5n-3 (MESH:D015118), pentadecanoic acid (MESH:C117025), ketones (MESH:D007659), beta-glucan (MESH:D047071), peroxide (MESH:D010545), Gly (MESH:D005998), phosphorus (MESH:D010758), MUFA (MESH:D005229), zinc (MESH:D015032), lactic acid (MESH:D019344), n-3 PUFA (MESH:D015525), SCFAs (MESH:D005232), SP (MESH:C000604007), cellulose (MESH:D002482), iron (MESH:D007501), dihydromyricetin (MESH:C472036), C18:3n-3 (MESH:D017962), Val (MESH:D014633), arachidonic acid (MESH:D016718), Phe (MESH:D010649), lipid (MESH:D008055), TCA (MESH:D014238), hydrocarbons (MESH:D006838), Glu (MESH:D018698), Saturated fatty acids (MESH:D005227), calcium (MESH:D002118), glucosinolate (MESH:D005961), phytate (MESH:D010833), EE (MESH:D004997), AA (MESH:D000596), glucose (MESH:D005947), formic acid (MESH:C030544), Leu (MESH:D007930), sugar (MESH:D000073893), cholesterol (MESH:D002784), Glycerophospholipids (MESH:D020404), oleic acid (MESH:D019301), nonanal (MESH:C008664), C16:1n-7 (MESH:C008757), (E,E)-2,4-nonadienal (MESH:C412886), flavonoid (MESH:D005419), water (MESH:D014867), 2-Hydroxy-4-methylpentanoic acid (MESH:C574291), isocitric acid (MESH:C034219), potassium sorbate (MESH:D013011), aldehydes (MESH:D000447), Triglycerides (MESH:D014280), MDA (MESH:D008315), alcohols (MESH:D000438), Ala (MESH:D000409), palmitic acid (MESH:D019308), Pro (MESH:D011392), polysaccharides (MESH:D011134), CLA (MESH:D044243), ethanol (MESH:D000431)
- **Species:** Inonotus obliquus (chaga, species) [taxon 167356], Brassica oleracea var. italica (asparagus broccoli, varietas) [taxon 36774], Lactobacillus delbrueckii (species) [taxon 1584], Eubacterium (genus) [taxon 1730], Daucus carota (carrot, species) [taxon 4039], Phascolarctobacterium (genus) [taxon 33024], Leptospira sp. AB (species) [taxon 103236], Gallus gallus (bantam, species) [taxon 9031], Faecalibacterium (genus) [taxon 216851], Vicia faba (broad bean, species) [taxon 3906], Malus domestica (apple, species) [taxon 3750], Medicago sativa (alfalfa, species) [taxon 3879], Brassica napus var. napus (annual rape, varietas) [taxon 138011], Clostridium butyricum (species) [taxon 1492], Salmonella (genus) [taxon 590], Oryza sativa (Asian cultivated rice, species) [taxon 4530], Streptococcus uberis (species) [taxon 1349], Moringa oleifera (horseradish tree, species) [taxon 3735], Bacillus subtilis (species) [taxon 1423], Butyricicoccus (genus) [taxon 580596], Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Enterococcus faecium (species) [taxon 1352], Glycine max (soybean, species) [taxon 3847], Sorghum bicolor (broomcorn, species) [taxon 4558], Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (species) [taxon 1590], Aspergillus niger (species) [taxon 5061], Bos taurus (bovine, species) [taxon 9913], Oribacterium (genus) [taxon 265975], Aspergillus oryzae (species) [taxon 5062], Escherichia coli (E. coli, species) [taxon 562], Allium sativum (garlic, species) [taxon 4682], Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker's yeast, species) [taxon 4932], Bacillus pumilus (species) [taxon 1408], Sus scrofa (pig, species) [taxon 9823], Manihot esculenta (cassava, species) [taxon 3983]

## Figures

4 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12825246/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12825246