Effects of supplemental magnesium aspartate and short-duration transportation on postmortem meat quality and gene expression of μ-calpain and calpastatin of finishing pigs

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The aim of this study was to test the effects of supplementing swine finishing diets with magnesium (Mg) and short duration transportation stress on blood parameters, pork quality and μ-calpain and calpastatin mRNA levels of muscle
of finishing pigs. It was found that short-duration transportation elicited the expected endocrine and blood metabolite responses to stress in pigs, and improved color and pH values of pork, but reduced tenderness of meat, which may be related to increase of mRNA level of calpastatin in pigs subjected to transportation. Supplementation of magnesium aspartate (MgAsp) improved pork color, and had a trend to ameliorate tenderness impaired by the transportation stress, which may be partly due to a trend to increase mRNA level of μ-calpain with supplementation of MgAsp. However, the functional mechanism of MgAsp on pork quality needs further investigation.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/livsci

Fatty acid composition and meat quality traits of organically reared Korean native black pigs

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In recent years, organic animal products have received a significant attention in most developed countries, as the environmentally friendly products are considered to be a healthier and safer than those produced by intensive
production system. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of free-range outdoor and conventional confined-indoor feeding systems on growth performance, meat quality and fatty acid compositions. It was found that that the organic rearing system significantly influence meat quality of longissimus muscle for Korean native black pigs (KNPs). The organic system resulted in significantly highermyoglobin content, and consequently higher redness value (CIE a*) than the conventional one. The current study also identified that the organic system changed fatty acid composition of intramuscular fat, resulting in significantly higher levels of PUFA,USFA and PUFAn-3. In this respect, the quality of meat can be proved to benefit from the organic system for pig production.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/livsci

Cooking effect on fatty acid profile of pork breakfast sausages enriched in conjugated linoleic acid by dietary supplementation or direct addition

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The aim of the present study was to study the effects of grilling on the chemical and fatty acid composition of pork products enriched in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) through animal dietary supplementation or through direct addition in the product formulation. In addition this study aims to compare the useful of CLA dietary supplementation or direct addition into breakfast sausages. The results from this study show that pork products can be modified to provide a significant increase in a functional lipid, which can have positive influences on health. Moreover, grilling had no clear effect on fatty acid levels in sausages with CLA added during manufacturing process. Grilling has a small but significant effect in sausages made with meat and back fat from pigs with a dietary CLA addition. Total CLA levels were not affected by grilling. Therefore, since CLA levels have been found to be stable during cooking, texture and sensory properties of both types of sausages should be evaluated in future studies to clarify the optimal process to increase CLA levels in pork breakfast sausages.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03088146

Influence of feed restriction and sex on growth performance and carcass and meat quality of Iberian pigs reared indoors

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The objective of this research was to study the effect of feed restriction and sex on growth performance and carcass
and meat quality of IB pigs reared indoors. It was found that a feed restriction of 82% of ad libitum consumption from 152 to 201 d and 72% from 202 to 263 d of age improved trimmed primal cut yields without affecting the feed efficiency and meat quality of IB pigs reared under intensive systems. In addition, the BW of feed-restricted pigs at 10 mo of age was within the range accepted by the industry. Furthermore, growth performance and primal cut yields were greater in IF than CF. Therefore, results of this experiment indicate that feed restriction during the grower phase in
IF can be an acceptable practice for the production of IB pigs under intensive management systems.

For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/

Influence of Pre-Slaughter Process on Pork Quality: An Overview

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The current review outlines the present knowledge of significant pre-slaughter factors affecting technological meat quality. It was found that in general, the recommendations would include feed withdrawal about 12–18 h
before transport and lairage to prevent dead losses and improve meat quality. Electric goads should not be used to make pigs move more rapidly and the load process onto the lorry deck should be facilitated within 1 h, for example by using collecting pens near to the lorry, hydraulic lifts, and reduced groups of pigs without mixing. The stress of animals during transport can be reduced by limiting the length of journey (around 1 h), guaranteeing an adequate preparation of animals (prior access to feed and water), a sufficient loading density (a maximum of 0.425 m2/100 kg) and adequate environmental conditions in the lorry (temperature, humidity, ventilation), and by ensuring good transport conditions (i.e., avoiding excess stops or waiting periods) that reduce stress to the animals. Prior to slaughtering, rest periods should minimize aggressive behavior and relax the animals. For that, recommendations include a lairage of 2–4 h, spraying pigs with cold water, adequate ventilation, supplying water ad libitum and no mixing pigs of unfamiliar groups. Special care must be taken during the transfer of pigs to the stunning system. These operations represent the main source of stress for pigs, especially when bad conditions are practiced. Here, sticks or electric prods to guide animals should be avoided and the animals should be guided in reduced groups along double corridors in order to have the best results in terms of carcass and meat quality.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/lfri20

High bacterial contamination of pig tonsils at slaughter

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The objectives of this work were to (1) study the isolation rate of enteropathogenic Y. enterocolitica, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp. and L. monocytogenes in the tonsils and feces and (2) determine the number of mesophilic aerobic bacteria (MAB) and Escherichia coli in the tonsils of fattening pigs at slaughter. This is because food-borne zoonoses are infectious diseases of major health and economic significance in developed countries. They are most
often acquired through ingestion of contaminated foods but they can also be acquired directly from animals. The two most frequently reported zoonotic diseases in humans in the EU in 2007 were Campylobacter and Salmonella infections with incidences of 120 and 31 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively (EFSA, 2009). The reason this study uses pig tonsils is because pigs are mostly asymptomatic carriers of Salmonella enterica, Campylobacter spp., Yersinia enterocolitica and L. monocytogenes. All these bacterial pathogens have been isolated from the intestinal
tract of pigs (Fosse et al., in press). However, pathogenic Y. enterocolitica has shown to be a more frequent inhabitant in pig tonsils (Bucher et al., 2008). In the present study, almost all (98%) fattening pigs at slaughter were carriers for at least one of these foodborne pathogens in their tonsils (76%) or were shedding them in feces (72%). Pathogenic Y. enterocolitica and L. monocytogenes were frequently isolated from tonsils while Campylobacter spp. were rarely found. The main reason was because of contamination during slaughter and this study recommends that the contamination in the slaughterhouse could be effectively reduced by changing the slaughter technique by not splitting the head and by leaving the tongue and tonsils in the oral cavity.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03091740

Enriching breakfast sausages by feeding pigs with CLA supplemented diets

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Meeting consumer requirements for healthier meat products demands adoption of new strategies by the pork industry to improve the nutritional status of their products. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to examine the fatty
acid profile and oxidation level in cooked pork sausages, produced following dietary supplementation with Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). CLA has been shown to have a variety of biological effects (Hur, Park, & Joo, 2007) and studies suggest that CLA health benefits may include anti-oxidation, anti-atherosclerosis, anticarcinogenic and improvements in immune-responses. A clear impact was observed in fatty acid levels with both treatments resulting in increased CLA levels in the product. All treatments met the recommended PUFA/SFA ratios above 0.4. The n-6/n-3 ratio was affected
only by the level of addition of the oil and while above the recommended n-6/n-3 ratio of less than 4 the ratio is lower than the average consumed ratio in Western diets.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03088146

Genetic correlations and expected response for intramuscular fat content in a Duroc pig line

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The aims of this study were to estimate the genetic correlation of intramuscular fat (IMF) content with economic traits in a Duroc line used for producing high valued cured retail cuts and also to experimentally assess whether selection for body weight at restrained backfat depth is a good strategy for improving IMF content in this line. The opportunity was taken to examine the consistency of the model used for predicting the IMF breeding values and the expected selection response for IMF under different scenarios. The results from this study indicate that IMF can only be efficiently selected if it is systematically recorded. The pig lines aimed at producing elite cured products are the best candidates where investments in this kind of recording systems may pay off.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/livsci

Carcass, meat quality, and sensory characteristics of heavy body weight pigs fed ractopamine hydrochloride (Paylean)

Posted in: Meat Quality by admin on January 1, 2008 | No Comments

Carcass characteristics, meat quality
traits, and sensory attributes were evaluated in latefinishing
barrows and gilts, weighing between 100 to
130 kg of BW, fed 0, 5, or 7.4 mg/kg of ractopamine
hydrochloride (RAC) for the final 21 to 28 d before
slaughter. Carcass data were collected from carcasses
from barrows and gilts (n = 168), and all primal cuts
from the right sides of these carcasses were fabricated
to calculate primal yields as a percentage of the HCW.
Subjective (National Pork Producers Council and Japanese)
color, firmness, and marbling scores were determined
on the LM of each loin and the semimembranosus
muscle (SM) of the ham, whereas the moisture,
extractable lipid, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF),
and trained sensory evaluations (juiciness, tenderness,
and pork flavor) were measured on the LM samples
only. Gilts produced heavier (P < 0.05) HCW than barrows, whereas feeding RAC increased (P < 0.05) HCW over pigs fed diets devoid of RAC. Carcasses from gilts also had greater (P < 0.02) primal cut and lean cut (P < 0.01) yields than barrows, and dietary inclusion of 5 mg/kg of RAC increased (P < 0.05) total boneless cut and lean cut yields when compared with carcass from pigs fed 0 or 7.4 mg/kg of RAC. Warner-Bratzler shear forces values were greater (P < 0.05) in the LM of gilts than barrows, but only juiciness scores were greater (P < 0.03) in LM chops from barrows than gilts. The LM from barrows had greater intramuscular lipid (P < 0.001) than the LM from gilts, and even though the LM from pigs fed 5 mg/kg of RAC had greater (P < 0.04) WBSF values than the LM from pigs fed 0 or 7.4 mg/kg of RAC, including RAC in the late-finishing diets for 21 or 28 d did not affect sensory panel rating or percentages of moisture and intramuscular lipid. In summary, addition of RAC in the late-finishing diet improved carcass and primal cut yields when it was fed at 5 and 7.4 mg/kg without altering pork quality traits regardless of whether RAC was fed for 21 or 28 d.

National Meat Case Study 2004: Product labeling information, branding, and packaging trends

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Fresh meat retail cases in 104 supermarkets
across 5 regions of the United States were audited
for the use of packaging types and materials, branding,
and cooking/nutritional information. Frequency means
were separated for species of beef, ground beef, pork,
chicken, turkey, lamb, and veal. Traditional polyvinyl
chloride overwrap was used on 47.0% of packages in the
fresh meat case nationwide and was the most frequent
packaging type for beef, ground beef, pork, lamb, and
veal. The use of modified atmosphere packaging was
greatest (P < 0.001) in ground beef (33.2%) and turkey (45.1%) products. The 3 most common tray colors in the fresh meat retail case on a national level were white (39.6%), yellow (22.4%), and black (11.5%). Foam trays were used in 72.6% of all packages in the retail meat case. In 2004, 60.2% of all packages were caseready. Chicken (94.8%) and turkey (95.6%) products utilized case-ready packaging systems more (P < 0.001) than any other species. On a national level, 50.1% of all products carried a national brand, 12.2% carried a store brand, and the remaining 37.7% of products in the fresh meat case in 2004 were not branded. Chicken was most (P < 0.001) likely to carry a natural brand label. Labels with cooking instructions were found most (P < 0.001) on pork (37.3%) and turkey products (48.1%). Chicken (20.4%) and turkey products (20.7%) were most (P < 0.001) likely to have the cooking instructions printed on the packaging material compared with all other species. Labels with nutritional information were most (P < 0.001) likely to be found on turkey products (55.7%) in the fresh meat case compared with any other species. On the national level, 6.1% of all packages reported in the fresh meat case in 2004 were value-added.