Simplified dissection as an aid in carcass evaluation on the landrace and Yorkshire breeds

Information on carcass quality obtained from dissection and conventional carcass evaluation was studied on the Landrace and Yorkshire breeds. Progeny testing pigs (n = 196) were slaughtered at a weight of c. 90 kg. After conventional carcass evaluation, the carcass half was dissected. The objects of study were the most valuable parts of the half carcass (= ham + carré + back + fore back + shoulder + kidney fat) and its skin+fat and meat+bone components. The possibility of restricting the dissection to the ham and the back was also examined. By means of the least squares methods the following results were obtained: The effect of the slaughter weight on the skin+fat, the meat+bone and the valuable part was very significant. The variation due to age was not significant. The carcass quality on the gilts was better than that of the castrates. By stepwise multiple regression procedures estimations were derived for the skin+fat component, the meat+bone component and the most valuable part of the carcass. By dissection of the ham and the back more information was generally obtained about the slaughter quality of the most valuable part than was obtained by the conventional carcass evaluation. The index (= A/B x A/C x10) was calculated, in which A = weight of the meat+bone component, B = age in days and C = weight of the half carcass. The index correlated with the skin+fat component and its percentage as follows: r = —0.34**– –0.55***, and with the meat+bone component and its percentage: r = 0.77*** —0.78***. Possibilities of developing the index were examined.