Influence of rearing system, diet and gender on performance, carcass traits and meat quality of white pigs

Forty-eight Polish Landrace pigs (aged 80 ± 2.1 days; initially 32.43 ± 0.70 kg live weight) were assigned to a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial arrangement in order to assess the effects of the rearing system (outdoor vs. indoor), diet (with corn grain silage vs. without corn grain silage) and gender (barrows vs. gilts) on performance, carcass traits, meat quality and intramuscular collagen (IMC) characteristics. During the trial period of 14 weeks, each group was housed in a pen of 12 m², and the outdoor-reared animals had access to a paddock of 24 m². Pigs were fed twice daily a diet computed according to standard requirements and supplied on a basis of 9% of metabolic weight (live weight^0.75). Pigs were slaughtered at 110.69 ± 0.85 kg (180 ± 2.1 days old).

The rearing system did not significantly affect growth, hot and cold dressing and meat quality of the muscle longissimus lumborum and IMC. Outdoor pigs had less backfat thickness (1.35 vs. 1.66 cm; P < 0.05), slightly higher lean percent (58.67 vs. 57.45 %; P = 0.082) and a meat with lower pH (5.38 vs. 5.41; P = 0.052) than the conventional system. Compared with the pigs fed diets with corn grain silage, those fed diets without corn had higher lean (57.23 vs. 58.90 %; P < 0.05), ham percentage (20.17 vs. 20.67 %; P < 0.05) and IMC content (18.50 vs. 20.00 µg/mg; P < 0.05), lower neck percentage (13.80 vs. 12.60 %; P < 0.05) but similar main tissue components of the ham and meat quality. Compared with the gilts, barrows had higher fat content (1.65 vs. 1.37 %; P < 0.05) and showed a meat with different physico-chemical traits, which was slightly more tender and had similar IMC properties.

In light of these results, alternative pig rearing systems with indoor space and free outdoor access could be an interesting production system for the pigs.

G Maiorano, W Kapelanski, M Bocian, R Pizzuto, J Kapelanska. 2012. Influence of rearing system, diet and gender on performance, carcass traits and meat quality of Polish Landrace pigs. Animal, animal / Volume 7 / Issue 02 / February 2013, pp 341-347doi:10.1017/S1751731112001516