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Lean meat quality of different pig breed types

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 November 2017

P.D. Warriss
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Food Research, Bristol Laboratory, LangfordBristol, BS18 7DY
S.D. Kestin
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Food Research, Bristol Laboratory, LangfordBristol, BS18 7DY
S.N. Brown
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Food Research, Bristol Laboratory, LangfordBristol, BS18 7DY
E.A. Bevis
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Food Research, Bristol Laboratory, LangfordBristol, BS18 7DY
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Extract

Major attributes of pig lean meat quality are colour and the amount of exudate lost during storage. These can be influenced by genotype and preslaughter handling. Surprisingly, there is hardly any Information on the inherent meat quality potential of different breeds of pig in the UK and this is particularly true of the traditional breeds. While these may form a negligible part of the British pig population, with the increasing concern at the apparent recent increase in the incidence of PSE meat, use of genes from possibly-resistant traditional breeds in commercial hybrids might be valuable to improve quality. In this work therefore, eleven breeds of pig were compared, each represented by about twenty animals from at least two different source herds (see Table 1). Both gilts and castrates were represented. They were fed a diet containing 20% protein ad libitum and slaughtered at a live weight averaging 62 kg after having been subjected to the minimum of stress. The pH in the H. longissimus dorsi (LD) was measured at 45 min post mortem. After overnight chilling the carcasses were cut into primal joints and the loin joint scored for shape of the LD, coarseness of the grain of the muscle fibres and ‘setting’ of the joint. Setting is an important quality characteristic in that it facilitates butchery and enhances the appearance of retail cuts. Measurements of reflectance and loss of exudate during storage were made on the LD. Reflectance was measured using an EEL meter and exudation was determined after storage at 1°C for 3 days.

Type
Manipulation of Composition and Quality of Animal Products
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Production 1988

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