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The effects of two methods of increasing age at slaughter on carcass and muscle traits and meat sensory quality in pigs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2016

B. Lebret ,
H. Juin ,
J. Noblet  and
M. Bonneau
B. Lebret
Affiliation:
INRA, Unité Mixte de Recherches sur le Veau et le Porc, 35590 Saint-Gilles, France
H. Juin
Affiliation:
INRA, Domaine du Magneraud, BP52, 17700 Surgères, France
J. Noblet
Affiliation:
INRA, Unité Mixte de Recherches sur le Veau et le Porc, 35590 Saint-Gilles, France
M. Bonneau
Affiliation:
INRA, Unité Mixte de Recherches sur le Veau et le Porc, 35590 Saint-Gilles, France
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Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a 30-day increase in age of pigs slaughtered at 110 kg body weight (BW) on carcass and m. longissimus dorsi (LD) and m. biceps femoris (BF) traits, and meat sensory quality. A total of 60 pigs from two genotypes: synthetic line ✕ (Large White ✕ Landrace) (SL) and Duroc ✕ (Large White ✕ Landrace) (D) were used, each genotype containing five groups of six littermates (three castrated males and three females). At the average BW of 30 kg, littermates of the same sex were allocated to three groups. Pigs of group AL were offered ad libitum a standard growing-finishing diet (13·6 MJ/kg digestible energy, 9·5 g/kg of lysine) from 30 up to 110 kg BW. The R1 pigs received the same diet at 0·75 of the ad libitum intake of their AL littermates. The R2 pigs were submitted to both energy and protein restrictions in order to get the same growth rate as the R1 pigs and the same body composition as the AL pigs. Results were similar in both genotypes. In agreement with the protocol, age at slaughter was increased by 30 days in R1 and R2, and AL and R2 pigs had comparable carcass composition. Compared with AL, average daily gain was decreased in R1 and R2 pigs, and food efficiency was decreased in R2, but remained unaffected in R1 pigs. Intramuscular fat (IMF) concentration was decreased in the R1 pigs, especially in BF (15·5 v. 19·7 mg/g), while it was increased in the LD of the R2 pigs, particularly in the D animals (24·2 v. 17·4 mg/g), compared with AL pigs. Meat quality parameters (rate and extent of pH fall, reflectance and drip loss) were similar in the three feeding regimens. The taste panel did not find any significant difference between feeding regimens for tenderness, juiciness, flavour, flour sensation after mastication and mouth coating of the meat, despite the differences reported in IMF concentration. This suggests that, for the genotypes used in this experiment, an increase of 30 days in the age at slaughter greatly influences the carcass and/or the muscle chemical composition, depending on the feeding strategy applied to reduce the growth rate but does not strongly modify the meat eating quality.

Keywords

age at slaughtercarcass compositiongrowth ratemeat qualitypigs
Type
Non-ruminant nutrition, behaviour and production
Information
Animal Science , Volume 72 , Issue 1 , February 2001 , pp. 87 - 94
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 2001

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