Abstract
Performance and quality traits were measured in carcasses from combinations of genotype, diet supplement, slaughter weight, and carcass chilling regime. Iberian-crossed pigs had lower live animal performance than Duroc and Lacombe. From 70 to 115 kg, Lacombe pigs grew slightly faster than Duroc. Duroc carcasses had a higher lean percentage, heavier ham and picnic primals, and lighter loins and bellies, compared with Lacombe and Iberian. Heavier carcasses had lower lean yield, except those from Iberian-crossed pigs, and bigger bellies. Meat from Duroc-crossed pigs was lighter in colour and higher in marbling, with intermediate values for fat hardness. Iberian carcasses displayed dark meat with intermediate marbling and the hardest fat. Meat from Lacombe pigs was the leanest although, like in all three breeds, marbling scores were higher in heavier carcasses. Generally, supplementing with canola and flax decreased and blast chilling increased fat hardness values. Dietary canola also seemed to affect meat colour traits, but these effects were not consistent among breeds and slaughter weights. The commercial combination of Duroc breed, control diet, and 115-kg slaughter weight showed a balance in terms of performance, carcass, and quality traits. Other combinations evaluated in this study showed potential to efficiently produce differentiated pork.
Highlights
Variability in pork quality is due to a combination of genetic, production, and processing factors (Ngapo and Gariépy 2008)
While birth weights were not affected by breed (P > 0.05), average daily gain (ADG) of Iberian pigs, at all growth stages, was significantly (P < 0.001) lower than those from Duroc and Lacombe (Fig. 1)
When developing differentiated pork and pork products through management strategies, changes in animal growth performance need to be considered to assess their viability in a competitive market
Summary
Variability in pork quality is due to a combination of genetic, production, and processing factors (Ngapo and Gariépy 2008). An established commercial crossbred of Yorkshire–Landrace female and Duroc boar, is mainly a commodity product, with little differentiation Such a situation owes to the genetic selection being applied to a limited number of specialized breeds driven by grading systems encouraging higher carcass yield, which has successfully led to leaner carcasses, faster growth rate, and lower feed conversions in Canada as in many countries (Pommier et al 2004; Sellier 2007). Consequences of this strategy of selection are as follows: (1) Pig genetic diversity has eroded and (2) the whole meat sensory characteristics and some reproductive and health traits have been undesirably affected (Rauw et al 1998).
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