The diversity of breeds is an important factor influencing carcass and meat quality traits that are also associated with other different effects. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of breed, gender, and feeding level in the finishing phase on the carcass and meat quality of Lithuanian White and Lithuanian Indigenous Wattle pigs reared indoors. After 60 kg weight, half of the animals from both breeds were fed a restricted diet of approximately 82% of average ad libitum feeding intake, and the other half of pigs were further fed ad libitum to the end of the experiment. Feed restriction during the finishing phase decreased daily gain and weight of pigs at slaughter, and backfat thickness at the tenth rib (p ˂ 0.001, p ˂ 0.01, and p ˂ 0.05, respectively). Lithuanian White pigs demonstrated higher (p ˂ 0.001) growth rate, live body weight at slaughter and carcass weight, and had a higher (p ˂ 0.01) length of carcass and loin area and lower (p ˂ 0.05) backfat thickness at the last rib and at two points at the lumbar area compared with Lithuanian Indigenous Wattle pigs. The semimembranosus muscle of Lithuanian White pigs had relatively (8.1%) lower (p ˂ 0.001) proportions of saturated and 41.2% higher (p ˂ 0.001) proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids compared with the pigs of the Lithuanian Indigenous Wattle breed, whereas in the longissimus muscle and subcutaneous tissue, the breed only affected the n-6/n-3 ratio (p ˂ 0.01 and p ˂ 0.001, respectively). Gender showed an effect on saturated fatty acids in all the studied tissues, however, the effects on polyunsaturated fatty acids were found in the semimembranosus muscle and subcutaneous tissue (p ˂ 0.05 and p ˂ 0.001) and the effects on monounsaturated fatty acids was found only in the semimembranosus muscle (p ˂ 0.01). These differences in the fatty acid composition of the semimembranosus muscle and subcutaneous tissue of females exhibited more favorable lipid quality indices compared with castrated males (p ˂ 0.001). The semimembranosus muscle of Lithuanian White pigs also showed more favorable lipid quality indices in relation to healthy nutrition compared with Lithuanian Indigenous Wattle pigs (p ˂ 0.001). This study is one of the steps toward the development and utilization of endangered breeds. The obtained information can be used to increase choice in pork production and consumption, and provides new insights for research into the conservation of local breeds.

The aim of the present study was to identify the conservation status of Lithuanian local Vištinės goose breed and evaluate the carcass and meat quality characteristics in the breast and thigh depending on the sex. The status of the Lithuanian Vištinės goose breed was evaluated by monitoring of the birds, which are included in the breeding system. Twenty geese from the nucleus flock at the age of 10 weeks and reared using a commercial concentrate diet ad libitum were used for the carcass and meat quality evaluation. Due to fluctuations in the numbers of geese and reproduction of purebred birds on a largest scale from the nucleus flock, the status of Vištinės goose population remains critical-maintained. The difference in the live body weight between males and females was insignificant, whereas males showed higher carcass weight (p < 0.05), including the weight of breast, wings, thighs and neck. The sex did not affect the meat quality parameters, but the anatomical location of muscles has appeared to show a high effect. Thigh muscles had lower (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, respectively) protein and cholesterol, and higher (p < 0.001) intramuscular fat contents compared with the breast. Thigh muscles also showed higher (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively) pH and EZ drip loss, but lower (p < 0.001) cooking loss compared with the breast. The breast was characterized by a higher (p < 0.001) shear of force and toughness with Warner–Bratzler test and higher (p < 0.001) hardness detected by texture profile analysis (TPA) compared with the thigh. Breast lipids had higher (p < 0.001) proportion of total saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, whereas the thigh was characterized by a higher proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids. Atherogenic (AI) and thrombogenic (TI) indexes were higher (p < 0.001) and hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic (h/H) ratio was lower (p < 0.001) and less favourable in the breast compared with the thigh. Despite the muscle type differences, goose meat of the local conserved breed exhibited good quality and expected enhancing impact on consumer health.

The objective of this study was to examine the influence of generation, parity number and year on sow prolificacy in the nucleus herd of the closed population of old genotype Lithuanian White pigs. Data on farrowing and litter size (total born, born alive, including sex of piglets, stillborn) were available per parities for individual sows from 2000 to 2011. The piglets originated from 395 litters (104 dams and 28 sires) of five generations. The generation showed effects on the number of total born piglets, piglets born alive, including males (p<0.01) per litters and did not appear to affect the number of stillborn piglets. The parity showed overall effects on the numbers of total born and stillborn piglets (p<0.01). Least square means for these traits increased with increasing parity number and reached significant (p<0.05) increase in parity 5. The year of farrowing showed the overall effect on the numbers of total born (p<0.01), born alive (p<0.001), including their sex and stillborn piglets (p<0.05). The decline in the numbers of piglets born alive was observed from 2008. This study showed that breeding of old genotype Lithuanian White pigs in a small closed population over the first four generations had no clear negative influence on sow prolificacy

The objective of this study was to determine the relationships between intramuscular fat, cholesterol contents and fatty acid composition in the muscles of different animal species. Intramuscular fat, cholesterol and fatty acid composition in 207 muscle samples from 129 animals of different species (pigs, beef cattle, farmed red deer, horses and geese) were determined and analysed. The obtained results indicated unequal relations between intramuscular fat and cholesterol contents and fatty acid proportions in the muscles of different animal species. The increase of intramuscular fat content resulted in higher monounsaturated and lower polyunsaturated fatty acid contents in most muscles of meat producing animals. In all the species higher fatness did not show any increase in cholesterol content and also cholesterol contents were lower as fat increased in m. semimembranosus of pigs and m. pectoralis profundus of horses. The cholesterol content positively correlated with saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids in the longissimus muscle with the lowest fat content found in red deer and beef cattle, whereas the correlations between these measures were negative in m. pectoralis profundus of horses and the breast of goose containing high fat levels. Negative correlations between polyunsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol content were found in the longissimus muscle of red deer and cattle, whereas these correlations in goose breast and horse meat were positive.

The objective of the study was to assess the influence of gender, age, and carcass weight on the properties of meat from adult horses slaughtered in Lithuania. M. pectoralis profundus of twenty-six obsolescent horses from 3 to 21 years of age were used in the experiment. Gender appeared to affect the horse meat properties. Stallions demonstrated (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively) lower content of dry matter and also considerably lower (p < 0.001 and p < 0.01) intramuscular fat content compared with mares and geldings and higher (p < 0.01) cholesterol content compared with mares. The meat of stallions showed the highest pH; however, a significant (p < 0.01) difference was obtained only in comparison with mares. Meat lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) of stallions were lower (p < 0.05) compared with geldings. Meat toughness of stallions was also lower (p < 0.01) than the meat of mares and geldings. The highest (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively) proportion of total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), higher (p < 0.05) and more favorable PUFA/SFA ratio, and also the highest (p < 0.05) but least favorable n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio, were detected in the muscles of stallions compared with mares and geldings. The differences in horse ages did not exhibit any effect on the properties of M. pectoralis profundus. Despite the age differences at the decline of horse life, the properties of the horse meat exhibited good quality and showed that horse meat is potentially highly beneficial to human health.