Feeding Iberian pigs with acorns and grass in either free-range or confinement affects the carcass characteristics and fatty acids and tocopherols accumulation in Longissimus dorsi muscle and backfat

The feeding and rearing systems of Iberian pigs affect the lipid composition and texture profile of dry-cured loin

“…These results indicate that the fat content of dry-cured loin is probably more related to diet than to exercise effect. Related fi ndings have been reported by several authors (Rey et al, 2006;Soto et al, 2008). The high fat content of acorns (Table 1) could explain the difference in fat content between products from animal FD and those from pigs fed with diets including acorns (in confi nement or free range).…”

“…In addition, grass is rich in n-3 fatty acids, which are of interest from the consumer's health point of view (Wood et al, 2003). A previous research on Iberian pigs permitted to conclude that pigs reared on free-range give rise to meat with a higher nutritional and health value which is diffi cult to imitate by feeding similar diets indoors (Rey et al, 2006). The fatty acid composition was affected by the rearing system with higher accumulation of n-3 fatty acids for outdoor rearing pigs, while tocopherol deposition was only affected by the type of feeding.…”

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).…”

“…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, 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.…”

“…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.…”