Carcass Composition and Physicochemical Characteristics of Meat from Pork Chains Based on Native and Hybrid Pigs

Abstract

The purpose of the research was to investigate the carcass composition, meat quality and chemical composition of pigs from two pork chains for the production of traditional dry/cured products in Croatia. The trial involved 24 Black Slavonian barrows reared outdoors (NAT chain) and 24 PIC hybrid barrows kept under industrial conditions (INT chain); all animals were raised to 160 kg of live weight. After slaughter, carcass and meat quality traits were measured and samples for chemical composition were taken. After that, a full dissection of the carcasses was performed. The pigs from the INT pork chain had leaner carcasses, higher bone percentages, and lower fatness levels than the NAT carcasses. Pigs from the NAT chain exhibited a more desirable meat quality. No differences were found in moisture, and samples from the INT chain exhibited higher collagen and protein percentage. Muscles from the NAT chain had higher IMF and MUFA levels, and the SFA content was lower than in INT pork. Despite the superior carcass traits of the pigs from the INT chain, pigs from the NAT chain demonstrated better suitability for the production of dry/cured products.

Can the Introduction of Different Olive Cakes Affect the Carcass, Meat and Fat Quality of Bísaro Pork?

“…The inclusion of olive cake in the diet of fed animals (rich in MUFA) reduces the PUFA content in red blood cell membranes [ 5 , 67 ]. The PUFA content for Bísaro pigs recorded is within the reported values for native Croatian pigs [ 58 ], Swallow-Bellied Mangalitsa [ 41 ], Chinese Ningxiang pigs [ 65 ], Zlotnicka Spotted pigs [ 58 ] and Celta pigs [ 39 ]. However, higher PUFA contents were observed in Pietrain pigs fed a diet with the inclusion of olive cakes (6 to 7% more) [ 5 ], Chinese Heigai pigs (4 to 5% more) [ 64 ], Iberian pigs (5 to 6% more) [ 61 ] Prestice Black-Pied (6 to 7% more) [ 68 ] and Alentejano pigs (8 to 9% more) [ 59 ].…”

“…The intramuscular MUFA content of LTL varied between 50.04% for the T2 treatment and 52.80% for treatment T3 and was within the values reported by other authors with the inclusion of 100 g/kg of olive cake [ 5 ] but lower than the 55.1% for the Swallow-bellied Mangalitsa and the 58% for the White Mangalitsa found for these two Serbia genotypes recognized as fatty pig breeds [ 41 ]. The MUFA content was within the values reported for different local breeds such as the Preto Alentejano breed [ 57 ], Iberian pigs [ 60 , 61 ], Mora Romagnola and Casertana breeds [ 62 ], Sicilian Black pig [ 63 ], Croatian native pig [ 58 ], Chinese Heigai pig [ 64 ] and Celta pigs [ 39 ]. This proportion of MUFA appears to be a trend in the autochthonous southern European swine breeds.…”

“…The ash content was within the values found for the Preto Alentejano and Large White breeds [ 57 ]. No significant differences were found between treatments for collagen content, ranging from 1 to 1.5%, a value that was also recorded in a native Croatian breed [ 58 ]. The protein content around 23% did not show significant differences between treatments which was also recorded in other pig breeds fed with diets without olive cakes [ 38 , 39 , 57 ], but also in Pietrain pigs fed with a diet with added olive cake [ 5 ].…”

Differences in Fatty Acid Profile and Physical-Chemical Composition of Slavonska slanina—Dry Cured Smoked Bacon Produced from Black Slavonian Pig and Modern Pigs

“…The samples originated from BP showed higher fat content (78.32%) than the samples from MP (46.47%) with statistical significance ( p < 0.05). This is probably related to the nature of the samples (BP) whose fresh meat has a higher amount of fat in carcasses and higher intermuscular fat content [ 2 ]. On the other hand, samples produced from MP showed significant ( p < 0.05) higher protein (16.67%) and moisture content (32.72%).…”

“…Nowadays, when the market trends shift towards sustainable animal production with local autochthonous breeds, the Croatian Black Slavonian pig becomes very popular with notable population growth [ 1 ]. As the quality of these products such as home-made ham, dry cured bacon and various types of dry sausages is expected to be higher for consumers, products of Black Slavonian pig slowly become recognizable brand in the domestic and international market [ 2 ].…”