Purpose of this investigation was to determine the nature of a visible spotting defect on the slice of dry-cured ham and assess environmental and genetic causes of this frequent problem. A group of 233 pigs from commercial cross-breeding lines, progeny of ten boars and forty seven sows, was raised in a single herd to obtain the Italian Heavy Pig, typically slaughtered at 160±10 kg live weight and older than 9 months of age. A quality evaluation of their right dry-cured hams, seasoned according to the Parma P.D.O. protocol, was undertaken. Each ham was cross-sectioned to obtain a slice of Semimembranosus, Semitendinosus and Biceps Femoris muscles. The focused phenotype was the presence/absence of brownish spots in these muscles, which represent a remarkable meat defect with strong impact on the final sale price. Environmental and management factors were considered in order to evaluate variability related to the phenotype. Animals were raised on two different flooring types (concrete and slatted floor) and a Vitamin C diet was also supplemented in the last 45 days before slaughtering to half of the animals. While the pre-planned environmental effects did not show any significant contribution to the total variability of the phenotype, the genetic analysis showed a near to zero value for heritability with a consistent 0.32 repeatability. The proportion of the total phenotypic variance was explained by an important dominance genetic component (0.26) indicating that the technological seasoning process may play a secondary role on the expression of this phenotype.

Genetic and environmental effects on a meat spotting defect in seasoned dry-cured ham / S. Moro, G.L. Restelli, S. Arrighi, V.M. Moretti, V. Bontempo, R.M. Rizzi, A. Stella, G. Pagnacco. - In: ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE. - ISSN 1594-4077. - 10:1(2011), pp. 33-37.

Genetic and environmental effects on a meat spotting defect in seasoned dry-cured ham

S. Moro
Primo
;
G.L. Restelli
Secondo
;
S. Arrighi;V.M. Moretti;V. Bontempo;R.M. Rizzi;G. Pagnacco
Ultimo
2011

Abstract

Purpose of this investigation was to determine the nature of a visible spotting defect on the slice of dry-cured ham and assess environmental and genetic causes of this frequent problem. A group of 233 pigs from commercial cross-breeding lines, progeny of ten boars and forty seven sows, was raised in a single herd to obtain the Italian Heavy Pig, typically slaughtered at 160±10 kg live weight and older than 9 months of age. A quality evaluation of their right dry-cured hams, seasoned according to the Parma P.D.O. protocol, was undertaken. Each ham was cross-sectioned to obtain a slice of Semimembranosus, Semitendinosus and Biceps Femoris muscles. The focused phenotype was the presence/absence of brownish spots in these muscles, which represent a remarkable meat defect with strong impact on the final sale price. Environmental and management factors were considered in order to evaluate variability related to the phenotype. Animals were raised on two different flooring types (concrete and slatted floor) and a Vitamin C diet was also supplemented in the last 45 days before slaughtering to half of the animals. While the pre-planned environmental effects did not show any significant contribution to the total variability of the phenotype, the genetic analysis showed a near to zero value for heritability with a consistent 0.32 repeatability. The proportion of the total phenotypic variance was explained by an important dominance genetic component (0.26) indicating that the technological seasoning process may play a secondary role on the expression of this phenotype.
Dry-cured hams; Genetics; Heavy pig; Meat defects
Settore AGR/17 - Zootecnica Generale e Miglioramento Genetico
Settore AGR/18 - Nutrizione e Alimentazione Animale
Settore AGR/19 - Zootecnica Speciale
Settore VET/01 - Anatomia degli Animali Domestici
2011
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/152830
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