Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare the quality of musculus longissimus dorsi in the breeds of Mangalitsa and Large White with regard to the slaughter weight. Large White (LW) breed and White Mangalitsa (Ma) breed were used in the experiment. The system of housing and feeding was the same in both of the monitored breeds. The pigs were fed with the same feeding mixture ad libitum. According to the slaughter weight, the pigs were divided into three groups: up to 100 kg, 101 – 110 kg and over 110 kg. The breed Ma had a significantly lower drip loss than the breed LW. Evaluating the color of the meat, the LW breed has showed significantly higher L* (lightness, white ±black) and lower a* (redness, red ± green) values than the Ma breed. Within the chemical meat composition, the Ma breed had a significantly higher water content in MLD compared to the LW breed. Generally, there were no major differences in the meat quality between the Mangalitsa and Large White breeds. Finally it can be concluded that the breed Mangalitsa showed more favorable values of the physico-chemical indicators. Comparing the quality of the meat with regard to the slaughter weight, there were no large differences between individual weight groups. A higher slaughter weight has positively influenced mainly the color of the meat, as pigs weighing more than 110 kg achieved a significantly lower value of L* and a higher value of a* in comparison to pigs of the lower weight. As a positive effect of a higher slaughter weight can be considered its effect on the protein content in the meat, as pigs weighing over 100 kg have a significantly higher protein content in the meat than pigs weighing below 100 kg.
Highlights
Pork quality has become a primary focus for producers, researchers, packers, processors, retailers, and consumers (Newcom et al, 2004)
There were no major differences in the meat quality between the Mangalitsa and Large White breeds
As a positive effect of a higher slaughter weight can be considered its effect on the protein content in the meat, as pigs weighing over 100 kg have a significantly higher protein content in the meat than pigs weighing below 100 kg
Summary
Pork quality has become a primary focus for producers, researchers, packers, processors, retailers, and consumers (Newcom et al, 2004). In the last few years, consumers and the meat industry have emphasized the descending quality of the pig meat offered, such as a high frequency of pale, soft and exudative (PSE) fault expressed by a high drip loss and low water-holding capacity, unacceptable taste of pork, and a low content of the intramuscular fat (Florowski et al, 2006). The meat quality is evaluated according to the quality parameters, such as the pH, color, or the intramuscular fat content. Meat color is one of the main quality properties, which influences consumer's acceptance, and reflects the quality of meat (Alonso et al, 2009). There are many factors that influence the final quality of meat, e.g. animal nutrition, transportation, handling and stunning, but it is well-known that the breed itself can affect the pork quality (Gil et al, 2008; Pascual et al, 2007; Šimek et al, 2004)
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