Comparison of the performances of Nero Siciliano pigs reared indoors and outdoors: 2. Joints composition, meat and fat traits

Effect of sire breed and rearing system on growth, carcass composition and meat traits of Cinta Senese crossbred pigs

“…Carcass composition was not affected by rearing system, except for the ham percentage that was higher in the outdoor pigs. This result confirms the findings of Enfält et al (1997) that outdoor rearing would induce greater development of glycolytic muscles, particularly muscles of the ham, and it is in agreement with the results obtained on Nero Siciliano pig by Pugliese et al (2003Pugliese et al ( , 2004, which found higher percentage of ham and of lean within ham in outdoor reared pigs. On the contrary, Lebret et al (2002Lebret et al ( , 2011 did not show any significant effect of housing system on carcass muscle and ham percentage and on carcass Sirtori et al fatness.…”

Effect of sire breed on carcass characteristics and meat and fat quality of heavy pigs reared outdoor and intended for dry-cured meat production

“…The proportions of SFA and PUFA of the BF found in the present trial (34% and 19%, respectively) differ than those reported by Latorre et al (2007) (39% and 15%, respectively) for heavy pigs reared indoor. The lower level of SFA in outdoor pigs is in agreement with several authors who have studied the effect of rearing system (out-and indoor) in local pig breeds, such as Cinta Senese (Pugliese et al, 2005), Nero Sicilano (Pugliese et al, 2004) or Iberian (Rey et al, 2006) and also in commercial breeds (Lebret et al, 2002). The reason for the higher percentage of PUFA in outdoors pigs could be that the grass intake increases the proportion of C18:3 (Rey et al, 2006) and grass is generally considered to have a high content of alpha-linolenic acid (Hö gberg et al, 2004).…”

“…However, when pigs are intended for dry-cured processing, the IMF even achieves higher value because the dehydration makes the product dry and therefore the juiciness is sustained mainly in the lipid content (Ruiz-Carrascal et al, 2000). However, in the present trial, the IMF levels were lower than those found in local outdoor breeds slaughtered at similar weights such as Iberian (4.7-8.7%; Ventanas et al, 2006), Cinta Senese (4.0%; Pugliese et al, 2005) or Nero Siciliano (4.3%; Pugliese et al, 2004). An interesting observation in the present trial was that the DU progeny had similar BF but more IMF fat than the PI progeny, which is in agreement with the results of Latorre et al (2003a and2003b) comparing DU and PI 3 LW-sire lines.…”

“…The reason for the higher percentage of PUFA in outdoors pigs could be that the grass intake increases the proportion of C18:3 (Rey et al, 2006) and grass is generally considered to have a high content of alpha-linolenic acid (Hö gberg et al, 2004). However, the MUFA proportion found in the current trial is similar to that found in indoor pigs, which was unexpected because Sans et al (2004) and Pugliese et al (2004 and2005) reported higher MUFA percentage in fat from outdoor pigs, essentially due to the high level of C18:1. Acorn is characterised by a higher content of MUFA and a lower content of PUFA with respect to concentrate feed (Cava et al, 1997).…”

“…Up to now, several studies have been conducted to characterise autochthonous pig breeds such as Iberian (Rey et al, 2006), Gascon (Sans et al, 2004), Nero Siciliano (Pugliese et al, 2004) and Cinta Senese (Pugliese et al, 2005) being raised in outdoor production systems in the Mediterranean area. The main purpose of these local pig breeds is the fabrication of high-quality dry-cured meat products taking advantage of their good rusticity and the natural feed resources.…”