Crossbred pigs (n = 512) with an average initial BW of 22.1kg were used to evaluate growth performance, carcass characteristics, and pork fat quality of grower-finisher pigs fed corn-soybean meal diets containing increasing content of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). One of 4 dietary treatments was randomly assigned to each pen within sex. Dietary treatment and sex were the main factors in a 3-phase feeding program (BW = 22 to 53 kg, 53 to 85 kg, and 85 to 115 kg). Dietary treatments consisted of a corn-soybean meal control, or a corn-soybean meal diet containing 10, 20, or 30% DDGS. Overall, increasing the dietary DDGS content had no effect on ADG, but ADFI was linearly reduced and G:F was linearly increased. Dressing percentage, LM marbling and firmness, and belly firmness were linearly reduced, but percentage of fat-free lean was linearly increased with increasing dietary DDGS. Subjective LM color score, drip loss, and ultimate pH of LM were not influenced by dietary DDGS. Japanese color scores for backfat and belly fat were similar among dietary treatments. Feeding an increasing content of DDGS linearly increased PUFA concentration, particularly linoleic acid (C18:2), in belly fat, backfat, and LM intramuscular fat, but the increase in LM intramuscular fat was smaller in magnitude than in backfat and belly fat. Pigs fed an increasing content of DDGS had a linear increase in the iodine value of backfat, belly fat, and LM intramuscular fat of 58.4 to 72.4, 61.5 to 72.3, and 54.8 to 57.7, respectively. Oxidation of LM intramuscular fat measured on d 0, 14, 21, and 28 of storage was not affected by dietary treatment. Taste tests for LM showed no effects of diet on flavor, off-flavor, tenderness, juiciness, and overall acceptability scores. Similarly, bacon flavor, off-flavor, crispiness, and overall liking scores were not affected by increasing dietary DDGS, but bacon fattiness and tenderness scores were linearly reduced. These results showed no negative effects on growth performance or dressing percentage when growing-finishing pigs were fed diets containing up to 30% DDGS, but fat quality may not meet the standards of all pork processors when feeding diets containing more than 20% DDGS.

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