Effect of pre-slaughter weight and sex on commercial meat cut yields of Iberian pigs

Abstract

It is very important for the Iberian swine industry to determine the optimum slaughter weight. Therefore, predicting the weights and yields of valuable meat cuts (ham, foreleg and loin) at a given pre-slaughter live weight may be very useful for management decisions. Also, sex differences in prime-cut yields should be elucidated. For this study, 300 extensively reared Iberian pigs (castrated males and females) were slaughtered at live weight (LW) ranging from 125 to 200 kg. At the packing plant, carcass and meat cuts were weighed, and meat cut yields were recorded. Increasing LW class was associated with heavier carcass and meat cuts, but also with lower carcass and prime-cut yields. Males were heavier, but females had higher carcass yield. Nevertheless, males were superior to females in the case of foreleg weight and yield and combined prime-cut yield. Sex differences within each LW class were consistent. Results suggest that in Iberian pig weight gain during finishing in extensive systems is mostly based on fat cover deposition, and also that males, despite castration, have a greater front leg development than females.