Abstract
© 2019 Elsevier B.V. In the context of non-castrated pig production in the EU, it is important to quantify the different factors that affect carcass composition. In this study, a large-scale database was analyzed to assess the effect of two different lean sire lines (SL), sex, carcass weight (CW) and marketing day (MD) on carcass fatness of non-castrated pigs. Marketing day was introduced as a variable to quantify the effect of different growth rates within a farm on carcass composition. Thus, first pigs leaving the farm had a MD of 0. The results showed that the synthetic SL had a higher feed intake and average daily gain than the Pietrain SL, which lead to fatter carcasses. Females were fatter than males in both SL analyzed. For all SL and sexes there was a positive relationship between CW and carcass fatness variables, which was modified by SL and sex. Regarding MD, the results showed a negative relationship between MD and carcass fatness, which was also modified by SL and sex. Summarizing, there are relevant differences in productivity and carcass composition between lean SL, which might be related to changes in feed intake. Additionally, carcass fatness increases with CW and decreases with MD.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 25-30 |
| Journal | Livestock Science |
| Volume | 228 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2019 |
Keywords
- Carcass composition
- Carcass weight
- Growing pig
- Marketing day