Carcass characteristics and meat quality of halothane negative and halothane positive pietrain pigs

One hundred and seventy-six Pietrain pigs were tested for halothane sensitivity by means of a 5-min halothane anaesthesia in two experiments. One hundred and twenty were halothane negative (HN) and 56 were halothane positive (HP). In one experiment pigs were slaughtered under commercial (stress) conditions; in the other experiment pigs were killed under minimal stress conditions.

The carcasses of HP pigs were meatier and shorter and contained 2·2% more muscle than the carcasses of HN pigs.

Halothane positive pigs gave a meat of poorer quality, as assessed in the fresh state. When the pigs were slaughtered under commercial conditions, hams from HP pigs were not inferior in curing ability and had a higher total processing yield of Paris ham due to their higher trimming yield. When the pigs were killed under minimal stress conditions, there was no difference in the total processing yield betwen HN and HP pigs, because the technological yield was markedly reduced in HP pigs. However, in both cases, HP pigs produced more cooked ham per pig.

It is suggested that different physiological mechanisms may account for either PSE (pale soft exudative) or DFD (dark firm dry) meat. The former is the consequence of an excessively high rate of post mortem glycolysis which is clearly manifest in HP pigs when they are killed under minimal stress conditions and the latter appears to be unrelated to halothane sensitivity as the ultimate pH of HP and HN pigs is similar when the animals are slaughtered under stress conditions.     

Carcass and meat quality characteristics of immunocastrated male,surgically castrated male,entire male and female pigs

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of immunocastration on meat and carcass quality compared with meat from females, entire and surgically castrated males. One hundred and eighteen (Landrace × Duroc) × Pietrain crossbred pigs were assigned to four experimental groups: entire males (EM), females (FE), surgically castrated males (CM) and vaccinated males (IM). Pigs were reared in two pens per sex and slaughtered at an average of 180 days of age. Carcass and meat quality characteristics such as testis size and length, fat depth, lean content, proportion of the carcass represented by each joint, pH, colour and intramuscular fat were evaluated. There was a significant reduction in the size of these sexual organs in IM compared with EM. CM and IM were fatter than FE and EM in the loin area but, in the ham area, CM was the fattest and EM the leanest, while IM and FE were in between. Intramuscular fat of IM (2.1%) was no different from the other sexes evaluated, although it was higher in CM (2.5%) with respect to FE (1.7%) and EM (1.8%). There was no difference between the IM and other treatment groups in meat quality. Regarding ours results we can conclude that from the point of view of meat and carcass quality the immunocastration could be a good alternative to the surgical castration.     

Carcass characteristics and meat quality of male and female foals

This research was conducted to characterize the carcass traits and meat quality of 16-month and 24-month old foals (33 males and 23 females) reared in two different livestock production systems. The carcass parameters assessed were conformation, degree of fatness, morphology, weight and carcass meat colour. The physicochemical characteristics and sensory profile of the M. longissimus dorsi (LD) were determined at 4 days of ageing. The carcass parameters and meat quality traits differed little between colts and fillies. There were significant differences between production systems. Carcasses were characterized by B conformation, 3 of fatness and high dressing percentages (>63%). Foal meat had a high myoglobin content and there were differences between the production systems in the flavour, juiciness, flourness and greasiness of the LD.     

Carcass and meat quality in double-muscled Belgian Blue bulls and cows

Carcass and meat quality of 37 bulls and 91 cows of the Belgian Blue breed (double-muscled type) were compared. Age at slaughter averaged 648±73 and 1820±689 days, respectively. Both groups of cattle were finished on maize silage supplemented with concentrate, and were slaughtered at about 750 kg live weight. Females had a lower (P=0.004) cold carcass weight (469.7 kg) in comparison with bulls (500.8 kg), due to a reduced dressing percentage (63.8 vs. 66.6; P <0.001). SEUROP conformation was better for bulls. SEUROP fat covering (P=0.007) and fat content in the carcass (16.4 vs. 12.9%; P <0.001) and in the M. longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle (2.3 vs. 1.1%; P <0.001) were higher for females than for males. The LT of cows was darker (lower L* and higher a*-value; P <0.001), had a better waterholding capacity (P?0.063) and was slightly more tender (P=0.120) than the LT of bulls. Increasing parity reduced dressing percentage and increased LT lightness (L*-value) in cows. Several carcass (SEUROP-grading, composition, LT-area) and meat quality traits (protein and fat contents, drip and cooking losses, a*-value) were better correlated with carcass weight than parity. It is concluded that meat quality of the aged LT of cows is not negatively affected by age, while some carcass quality traits decreased with advancing age. Carcass quality traits adjusted for age at slaughter were better for bulls, but LT meat quality characteristics were at least as good for females as for males.     

Carcass and meat quality traits of four different pig crosses

The study compared properties of Finnish Landrace × Yorkshire crossbred sows mated with Finnish Landrace (FL), Norwegian Landrace (NL), Norwegian Duroc × Norwegian Landrace (NDL), or Swedish Hampshire (SH) boars. The focus was to study the cross-sectional area of loin, cross-sectional area and number of muscle fibres, loin colour and pH value as well as the ratio of water to protein in the loin.The four studied crosses were quite similar having only small differences in carcass and meat quality. The carcass lean content was the lowest in NDL. The loins of FL and NL were longer than the loins of NDL and of SH. The cross-sectional area of loin was the largest in SH. The loin of FL was lighter in colour and the loin of SH was redder than the loins of the other crosses studied. The protein content was lower and the ratio of water to protein higher in loin of SH than in the other crosses.     

Carcass and meat quality of light lambs using principal component analysis

Eighty-six male light lambs of Manchego breed were used in this study. Principal component (PC) analysis was performed to study the relationship between carcass quality variables (n=22) and between meat quality measures (n=21). The carcass quality was assessed using objective and subjective measurements of conformation and fatness besides the joints proportion and tissues proportion of the leg. The measurements used to evaluate meat quality were pH in longissimus dorsi and semitendinosus muscles, the colour, moisture, water holding capacity, cooking losses, texture and sensorial analysis on longissimus dorsi. The five first PCs explained about 77% of the total variability for carcass measures whereas for meat quality the 74% of the total variability was explained for the eight first PCs. All the carcass measurements showed similar weight to define the first PC, whereas the muscle and bone proportion as well as muscle:bone ratio of the leg were useful to define the second PC. The meat quality measures that were more effective to define the first PC were the meat colour measurements, whereas the sensorial variables defined the second PC. The projection of the carcass quality data in the first two PCs allowed to distinguish clearly between heavier carcasses (higher than 6.5 kg) and lighter carcasses (lower than 5.5 kg). The carcasses with a weight higher than 6.5 kg were on the left side of the figure, where the variables of conformation and fatness lie. The group of medium carcass weight were placed between the two previous groups. The projection of the meat quality data in the first two PCs did not differ between hot carcass weights, although there was a trend, the lighter carcasses lay on the left side of the graph, which implies small differences between meat quality in this range of carcass weight.     

Carcass composition and meat quality of brush-tail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula)

One-hundred-and-thirty-nine possums, balanced as far as possible for sex (68 male, 71 female) and age (1 year, 42; 2-4 years, 61; 5+ years, 36), were slaughtered and the dissected carcass composition, muscle, and cooked meat composition measured. Possums were slaughtered at time in captivity TIC 0 (n = 58), TIC 14 days (n = 20) and TIC 28 days (n = 61). Compared with the 5+ years (mature) age group the 1 year olds (juveniles) were 67% and the 2-4 year olds (immature) 96% of the live weight of the mature possums. Carcass composition was characterised by high lean (78-80%) and low fat (around 1-2%). The cooked meat from possums is very high in protein (～ 25%) and low in fat, suggesting it should be a valuable source of animal protein with a low total fat, high unsaturated fat content. In all cases cooked meat was rated as tender, based on shear force values, despite having a pH of around 6·3.     

Carcass traits and meat quality of male lambs fed monensin or lasalocid

Male lambs, crossbred Merino × Ille de France, were fed a diet supplemented with 31 mg monensin or 32 mg lasalocid per kg of feed dry matter from an initial body weight of 23·6–23·9 kg to the slaughter weight of approximately 40 kg.

Carcass traits and meat quality were evaluated after slaughter; the values obtained were compared with those of the control group fed the same diet without the ionophore supplement.

There were few significant differences among the individual groups in carcass value, sensoric and technological properties of meat and of its composition. However, the lasalocid-fed group seemed to be somewhat better in muscling and in the composition of meat.     

Carcass composition and meat quality differences between pasture-reared ewe and ram lambs

Comparisons were made of carcass and meat quality characteristics of pasture-raised Texel-cross ewe (n = 269) and ram (n = 275) lambs between 5 and 8 months of age with an average carcass weight of 17.2 kg. Carcass assessment was based on linear dimensions and dissection of a leg into muscle, fat and bone, and meat quality measurements were made on M. semimembranosus and M. longissimus. At a set carcass weight, ewe lambs had higher dressing percentages (2%), shorter carcasses (0.7 cm), and heavier leg cuts (35 g) (P < 0.01) than males. At the same leg weight, legs of ewe lambs were fatter than males (subcutaneous plus intermuscular fat; 11.2% vs 9.6%; P < 0.001), whereas legs of ram lambs contained significantly more muscle and bone than females (P < 0.001). Leg muscle to bone ratio (4.7 vs 4.4) and muscularity were higher for females than males (P < 0.001). However, the relationship between leg muscle to bone ratio and muscularity was not the same between the sexes, and for any given muscularity value the muscle to bone ratio of ram lambs was lower than females. As a result, if carcass lean meat yield is predicted from a measure of carcass shape, such as muscularity, lean meat yields will be overestimated for males and underestimated for females. Meat quality was lower in ram lambs than in females (P < 0.001) as shown by higher Warner-Bratzler shear values (peak value 109.8 vs 97.0 N for M. Semimembranosus), higher ultimate meat pH values, and lower redness (a¹) and lightness (L¹, for the longissimus muscle only) values (P < 0.001). It is concluded that significant differences between ewe and ram lambs do exist for many carcass and meat quality traits, but for most quality traits the differences are small.     

Improvement of meat quality in pigs by beta-adrenergic blockade

The value of giving pigs the beta-adrenergic blocking drug carazolol preslaughter to improve meat quality was tested in a stress-resistant breed (Large White) and a stress-susceptible breed (Pietrain). Pigs averaging about 70kg liveweight were injected intramuscularly (1 mg per 100 kg liveweight) 0·5h before being transported to the slaughterhouse. The journey lasted 4 h and covered about 150 km and the pigs were slaughtered after 1 h in lairage. Treatment with carazolol reduced the incidence of PSE meat and considerably improved meat quality in the stress-susceptible Pietrain breed but had little effect in the stress-resistant Large Whites which produced good meat quality in both control and treated groups.     

Differences in meat quality between organically and conventionally produced pigs

This study compared organic pig meat production with conventional production with regard to carcass- and meat quality traits. 80 crossbred female and castrated male pigs were used [(Swedish Landrace × Swedish Yorkshire) × Hampshire] of which 40 were raised under organic conditions and the other 40 were raised in a conventional production system. The organic pigs were raised outdoors in one large group following the regulations for organic standards. The conventionally raised animals were kept indoors in groups of eight and were given a conventional feed mixture. It was found that meat of organically raised non-carriers of the RN(-) allele was of poorer quality (higher drip loss and increased shear force values) compared with meat from the other animals. The RN genotype had a relatively small effect on carcass and technological traits in this study. The sex of the animals affected carcass traits.     

Carcass characteristics,meat quality and nutritional value of horsemeat: A review

Meat has exerted a crucial role in human evolution and is an important component of a healthy and well balanced diet due to its nutritional richness. The aim of the present review was to shed light on the nutritional composition of horsemeat and their benefits for human health. One of the reasons for such interest was the occurrence, in Europe several years ago, of dioxin, Bovine Encephalopathy and foot-and-mouth disease problems in farm animals. Therefore, consumers began to look for alternative red meats from other non-traditional species. There is no carcass classification system on horses designated to meat consumption. It would be advisable to standardize the equine meat market to reduce variations that may reflect differences in meat quality. The nutritional composition of horsemeat by comparison with pork, beef or poultry is characterized by low levels of fat and cholesterol (about 20% less), relatively high concentrations of n− 3 fatty acids and heme iron indicating that its consumption may be beneficial for health. Therefore, horsemeat may supplement the meat market with good quality products, although as in other dietary components moderation is advisable.     

Effect of transport time on welfare and meat quality in pigs

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of transport duration on some welfare and meat quality parameters. For the study 144 pigs were used. One group of 72 animals was subjected to 15 min and the others to 3 h transport time. Blood from all animals was analysed in order to detect stress-susceptible pigs and assess pre-slaughter stress. Meat quality parameters were analysed from Longissimus thoracis and Semimembranosus muscles. It was concluded that under normal Spanish commercial conditions, pigs subjected to short transport showed a more intense stress response and poorer meat quality than pigs subjected to moderately long transport when they were immediately slaughtered on arrival at the slaughterhouse. Transport of 3 h might have allowed the animals to adapt to transport conditions and then could act as a resting period like a lairage time. The effect of transport time on welfare and meat quality parameters was more important than genotype and sex. Nevertheless, from the point of view of blood enzyme activities, genetically stress susceptible females transported for 3 h were more sensitive to muscle damage.     

Halothane genotype and pork quality. 1. Carcass and meat quality characteristics of three halothane genotypes

The carcass and meat quality characteristics of three halothane genotypes in pigs were evaluated. Sixty crossbred Landrace×Large White pigs (NN=25, Nn=19, nn=16) of ±86 kg live weight were slaughtered, the carcasses chilled for 24 h at 2°C, certain carcass and meat quality traits determined and the shoulder and leg cuts deboned and cut into primal cuts. Dressing percentage of the Nn pigs was higher (P<0.05) than that of the NN and nn pigs. Carcass length was the longest (P<0.05) for the nn pigs. Midline fat measurements as well as measurements at the 2nd-3rd last rib (45 mm from the midline) indicated that the nn pigs had less fat (P<0.05) and a larger eye muscle width (P<0.05), depth (P<0.001) and area (P<0.001) than the NN or Nn pigs. This resulted in the nn pigs having the highest (P<0.05) percentage predicted carcass lean content. Fat, bone and lean yield of the shoulder identified the nn pigs with the least bone (P<0.05) and fat (P<0.001) and the highest lean yield (P<0.05), expressed as a percentage of total shoulder weight. Yield from the legs identified the nn pigs as having the lowest fat (P<0.001) and highest lean (P<0.05), expressed as a percentage of total leg weight. The primal lean cuts (topside, silverside, thickflank and rump) from the legs showed that the nn pigs had the highest values (P<0.05) for lean as a fraction of cold carcass weight. This resulted from the higher weight of these cuts (P<0.05) in the nn pigs. Calculation of bone yield in the legs showed that the femur weights were highest (P<0.05) for the Nn pigs, also when expressed as percentage of leg weight (P<0.05) and as a fraction of cold carcass weight (P<0.05). Comparison of meat quality traits show that the nn pigs had poor quality with regard to pH(45) (P<0.001), pH(24) (P<0.05), drip loss (P<0.001) and reflectance values (P<0.05).     

Carcass and meat quality in light lambs from different fat classes in the EU carcass classification system

Ninety commercial lamb carcasses were analysed according to the four different fat classes in the light lamb European classification system. Shoulder fat increased 3%, muscle decreased 2% and bone decreased 1% for each class increase. No significant differences were found among fat classes regarding pH, WHC, cooking losses, juiciness, myoglobin content, meat colour measured immediately after cutting (L*, a*, b*), odour intensity or flavour quality. Some differences were found in colour evolution through ageing. Shear force decreased and tenderness and flavour intensity increased with fat class but this effect was only significant in the leanest animals.     

Prediction of meat quality in live pigs using stress-susceptible and stress-resistant animals

A new in-vivo procedure for predicting the potential meat quality in live pigs was devised using stress-susceptible (halothane positive) and stress-resistant (halothone negative) pigs. The potential meat quality in live pigs was determined using small biopsy samples of M. longissimus dorsi (LD). Meat quality was assessed by the combined measurements of pH and water-holding capacity (WHC) on the 12 000 g supernatant after incubation of 500 mg biopsy LD muscle with an equal volume of 150 mm KCl at 39°C for 45 min. With the LD muscles of halothane positive (n = 37) and halothane negative (n = 55) pigs, high correlations (r = -0·854) were observed between the supernatant (i.e. fluid) pH and WHC of the biopsy samples, between fluid pH of the biopsy samples and 1-h post-mortem (pH(60)) LD muscles (r = 0·951), and between pH(60) and WHC (r = -0·956). The experimental data show that our in-vivo test can differentiate halothane positive from halothane negative pigs and can also predict the potential meat quality in live pigs. The test could be applied to select pigs with differences in WHC to improve meat quality.     

Muscle glycogen level and meat quality in pigs of different halothane genotypes

The halothane genotype of 22 Polish landrace pigs was determined using halothane test and blood typing. Eight homozygous normal (NN), eight hetero-zygotes (Nn) and six homozygous recessive (nn) were identified. The levels of glycogen and lactate were measured in biopsy samples taken from the longissimus lumborum using a shot biopsy technique. pH (pH(1)) and IMP/ATP ratio (R) were determined at 30 min after slaughter, while pH, meat colour and water holding capacity were determined on the day after slaughter. The halothane genotype did not affect intra vitam glycogen level. The nn pigs had a higher R value and lower pH(1) than both Nn and NN animals. Heterozygous animals were intermediate between both homo-zygotes for biopsy lactate level and meat colour. The lactate content of biopsy samples was significantly correlated with pH(1) (r = -0·68; P < 0·01), R (r = 0·68; P < 0·01), meat colour (r = 0·57; P < 0·01) and water holding capacity (r = 0·45; P · 0·05).     

Eating quality of meat from pigs given the beta-adrenergic agonist salbutamol

Meat from pigs given the beta-adrenergic agonist Salbutamol was assessed by a trained taste panel. Overall, there were no significant effects of Salbutamol on panel scores for pork flavour, foreign flavour or overall acceptability. Although the differences were also not significant, meat from treated pigs was rated slightly tougher (P = 0·10) but more juicy (P = 0·14) than that from untreated animals. This concurred with higher instrumental values for toughness although the correlation between taste panel and instrumental texture measurements was low (r = 0·36, P < 0·001).