Carcass and meat quality traits were studied in 36 Celta pigs (a breed native from NW of Spain) reared for 16 months in an extensive regime and slaughtered at a live weight of around 170 kg. The effect of partially or totally replacing commercial compound feed with chestnuts in the finishing diet was also investigated. Celta heavy pigs were characterised by high killing out, subcutaneous fat thickness, and ham length values, and by low ham perimeter, and Longissimus lumborum muscle area values. Meat showed high myoglobin contents and a* values, and very high hardness. By increasing the proportion of chestnuts in the finishing diet the quantity of back fat increased and the pH of the meat decreased. However, neither these effects, nor any of those on the other traits studied were statistically significant. The absence of significant effects may be due to the fact that pigs fed with chestnuts were not subjected to feed restrictions.

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A total of 80 dry-cured duck breasts were used in this study. The gross composition, color and textural parameters, fatty acid and amino acid profiles, macro- and micromineral content, and sensory properties were analyzed. In comparison with other dry-cured meat products made from cuts of whole meat, dry-cured duck breast is characterized by low moisture and a higher protein content. Saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acid contents in intramuscular fat were approximately 35, 57, and 8% of the total fatty acid methyl esters, respectively. The main essential amino acids present in dry-cured duck breast were lysine and leucine, followed by valine, threonine, and isoleucine, with aspartic and glutamic acids being the most important in the nonessential fraction. Dry-cured duck breast proved to be a valuable source of iron, zinc, copper, and manganese (7.57, 4.66, 0.84, and 0.87 mg/100 g of edible portion, respectively), providing approximately 57, 45.2, 93, and 43.7% of the recommended daily allowances, respectively.

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The effect of fat content (20, 30, and 40%) on chemical composition, color, texture parameters, and sensory properties of dry-cured duck sausages was studied. Protein content showed significant differences (P < 0.001) among batches (19.3, 22.1, and 27.5% for high, medium, and low fat, respectively). Fat level affected the lightness (P < 0.05), redness, and yellowness (P < 0.001) of dry-cured duck sausages. Shear force increased with decreased fat content (1.45, 2.37, and 3.81 kg/cm(2) for high, medium, and low fat, respectively). The sensory properties of fat level, cohesiveness, fat odor, hardness, and juiciness were significantly different with respect to fat level. Duck sausages with 20% fat content obtained higher scores for sensory traits compared with sausages of 30 and 40% fat content.