Impacts of genetic selection in meat quality of pigs

Abstract

Advances in breeding pigs that have occurred in recent years have led to an increase in weight gain, decreased feed conversion and back fat thickness in swine. But this intense selection has caused some negative impacts on the final quality of the meat. The objective of this work was discussing the impact of genetic selection on the meat quality characteristics of pigs. Halothane gene carrier animals have lower meat quality, since this gene is related to the onset of PSE meat (pale, soft, exudative) presenting pale and low water retention capacity, one type of meat is not well accepted in the market because of their visual and organoleptic characteristics. The gene meat acidic pH promotes reduction in final pH meat around 5.4, which causes decrease in yield during the industrial processing and cooked cured products. The type of muscle fiber also affects the quality of meal; modern pigs have a higher proportion of modern glycolytic fibers, so meat lighter and less ability to retain water. The marbling is one of the main features related to tenderness and juiciness, but notes that breeds with high meat yield, have lower intramuscular fat content. Thus genetic selection for increasing the quantity of meat in the carcass led to a decrease in the rate of marbling. We conclude that it is important to have a breeding program aimed not only for the quality of housing, but also meets the requirements for better meat quality.