Selection criteria in relation to pork carcasses quality

Abstract

The paper presents the effect of various selection criteria (Landrace, Yorkshire - productive dairy breed and Hampshire - terminal) on the carcasses quality, as well as differences between sex in regard to distribution of meat, fat and bones. The study included 210 randomly selected pig carcasses at commercial farms, classified by breed and sex. Carcass dissection was carried out according to the model of EU 1992. The percentage of meat in fertile breeds carcasses was 2.04% lower (55.02%), compared to the terminal breed (57.06%). Comparing the proportion of muscle tissue in carcasses of male and female animals, there was determined a statistically significant difference (P0.05) in percentage of meat between two fertile breeds (Landrace and Yorkshire). A statistically significant difference (P<0.05) between fertile and terminal Hampshire breeds was determined. Sex and breed had highly significant impact on the amount of meat in the carcasses. Also, sex had a significantly influenced the amount of fat, while breed significantly influenced the amount of bone in carcasses. The largest and most important part of the carcass is a leg with a share of 29.17% in male and 29.17% in female animals. Data collection on the slaughter line as well as knowledge of slaughterhouses properties are basic conditions for work on genetic improvement of pig carcass quality. Quality rating of pigs on the slaughter line and price formation is a prerequisite for establishing trust between farmers and slaughterhouses. Mutual interest lies also in profit, so farmers will earn more carrying out meatiness selection while slaughterhouses will buy cattle with more meat of optimal quality.

Keywords

• selection
• carcass quality
• dissection
• pigs