Performance of Cinta Senese pigs reared outdoors and indoors. 1. Meat and subcutaneous fat characteristics

• Published in: Meat science Vol. 69; no. 3; pp. 459 - 464
• Main Authors: PUGLIESE, Carolina, BOZZI, Riccardo, CAMPODONI, Gustavo, ACCIAIOLI, Anna, FRANCI, Oreste, GANDINI, Gustavo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier 01.03.2005
• Subjects: Animal productions; Biological and medical sciences; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Meat and meat product industries; Terrestrial animal productions; Vertebrates; Vertebrata; Meat animals; Farming animal; Mammalia; Fat; Meat product; Artiodactyla; Ungulata; Pig; Meat
• ISSN: 0309-1740; 1873-4138
• DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2004.09.001

The effects of rearing system on tissue composition of a sample joint and on chemical-physical traits of meat and subcutaneous fat were studied in an Italian local pig breed. Forty-six Cinta Senese pigs were used; 17 pigs were reared on wood pasture, 29 pigs were reared in pens and fed commercial mixtures. Weight at slaughter was 136.2 and 127.7 kg for indoor and outdoor-pigs respectively. For sample joint composition outdoor-pigs showed a lower percentage of Longissimus lumborum (Ll) (46% vs. 48%) and higher percentages of intermuscular fat (7.2% vs. 4.7%) and bone (20.9% vs. 19.2%). In Ll outdoor-pigs showed higher percentages of intramuscular fat (4.04% vs. 3.29%) and crude protein (23.5% vs. 22.8%), lower drip and cooking losses by oven (0.66% vs. 2.14% and 28.6% vs. 32.3% respectively) and higher cooking loss by water-bath (30.3% vs. 26.6%). Lower values of L* (45.8 vs. 50.1) and higher values of a* (14.9 vs. 11.8) and chroma (15.9 vs. 12.8) were recorded on Ll of outdoor-pigs. Subcutaneous fat of outdoor-pigs showed higher percentages of MUFA (55.1% vs. 53.3%) and PUFA (13.2% vs. 10.4%). Outdoor-pigs had higher PUFA/SFA ratio (0.43 vs. 0.29).