Meat and carcass quality in two pig lines of different stress-susceptibility genotype and their crosses

Abstract

AbstractIn order to investigate differences in carcass and meat quality between lines of different stress susceptibility, 150 pigs were slaughtered on 15 slaughter days, consisting of equal numbers of stress-susceptible (nn) pigs of a boar line, stress-resistant (NN) pigs of a sow line and stress-carrier (Nn) crosses of these two lines. Carcass quality was determined by a SKGII-device which combined four physical measurements into a carcass lean estimate and a conformation score, and meat quality traits were measured on the carcass and on a loin slice. Killing-out proportion was lower for the NN line compared with the Nn crosses and the nn line. Lean content increased and conformation score improved as the number of n alleles in the respective genotypes increased but the Nn genotype was closer to the nn genotype than to the NNgenotype. Similarly, a large difference in meat quality was found between the NN and the nn line, whereas the difference in meat quality between the Nn and the nn genotype was smaller than expected. This was probably due to the low-voltage stunning procedure. In addition, the method of transporting the pigs to the abattoir (by truck or by foot, for a distance 125 m) had a pronounced effect on meat quality in the loin.