Chicory holds considerable promise as a nutritious feed alternative. This study investigated the associations of dietary inclusion of 10% fresh chicory (dry-matter basis) with growth performance, meat quality, cecal microbiota, and muscle metabolite profiles in Diqing Tibetan pigs using integrated metagenomic and widely targeted metabolomic analyses. Thirty-six castrated male growing–finishing Diqing Tibetan pigs were randomly allocated into control and chicory-supplemented groups. Our findings revealed that the 10% fresh chicory inclusion did not compromise growth performance. Moreover, the chicory diet was associated with a significant enrichment of Prevotella sp., Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, and Bacteroides uniformis within the cecum. Importantly, these specific microbial shifts exhibited correlations with alterations in the muscle metabolite profile. We observed that the chicory intervention was accompanied by elevated levels of glycerol 3-phosphate and glycerophospholipids, alongside a reduction in acylcarnitines. These exploratory associations suggest a potential link to shifted triglyceride metabolism, which corresponds to the significantly higher intramuscular fat content observed in the experimental group (5.89 ± 0.98) versus the control (4.23 ± 0.23). Overall, dietary inclusion of 10% fresh chicory was associated with changes in the cecal microbiota and muscle metabolome and supports further evaluation of fresh chicory as a forage ingredient in pig diets.

Feed scarcity constrains livestock production, particularly on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The effects of green alfalfa (GA) on Diqing Tibetan pig performance remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate GA effects on Diqing Tibetan pig performance and to explore the potential underlying mechanisms through integrated metagenomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses. Thirty-six Diqing Tibetan pigs were randomly assigned to two groups and fed either a basal diet or a diet containing 90% basal diet and 10% GA. GA did not adversely affect growth performance but reduced 6–7 rib backfat thickness and muscle water loss rate by 19.79% (FDR = 0.027) and 17.80% (FDR = 0.036), while increasing muscle moisture content by 3.51% (FDR = 0.036). GA increased cecal microbial alpha diversity, Bacteroidota-related taxa, and functional genes related to lipid and vitamin metabolism, while decreasing Bacillota and Lactobacillus johnsonii. In the longissimus dorsi, TNNI1, MYL2 and MYL3 were upregulated, whereas FOS and FOSB were downregulated; GA increased vanillyl alcohol, L-histidine, LPE (0:0/22:5), and licochalcone B, but decreased glyceryl monostearate, benzaldehyde, cortisol, tryptamine, 4-ethyloctanoic acid, 8-methylnonanoic acid, and purine. Overall, 10% GA reshaped gut microbial, muscle transcriptomic, metabolomic profiles and collectively influenced 6–7 rib backfat thickness and muscle water-holding capacity in Diqing Tibetan pigs.