Effects of cold rearing temperature on meat quality parameters on loin and ham muscles in pigs

Faure, Justine; Lefaucheur, Louis; Lebret, Bénédicte

Effects of cold rearing temperature on meat quality parameters on loin and ham muscles in pigs

2015

Faure, Justine | Lefaucheur, Louis | Lebret, Bénédicte

This study aimed at evaluating the influence of cold (CD)rearing environment versus thermoneutrality (TN) duringpostweaning (CD: 23 to 15°C; TN: 28 to 23°C) and growing–finishing periods (CD: 12°C; TN: 23°C) on pig LM and ham,adductor femoris (AF), semimembranosus (SM), gluteus superficialis(GS), muscle metabolism, and meat quality anddetermining the reversibility of these effects. Three groupsof pigs were constituted according to their postweaning andgrowing–finishing thermal environments: CD–CD (n = 18),CD–TN (n = 18), and TN–TN (n = 24). In LM muscle, CD–CD pigs had higher glycolytic potential (GP; P < 0.001) andlower pH 24 h postmortem (pHu; P < 0.001) and higher driploss (P = 0.02), color saturation, and intramuscular fat (IMF;P < 0.001) content compared with TN–TN. In AF and SMmuscles, CD–CD pigs exhibited also lower pHu comparedwith TN–TN and CD–TN pigs. Cold–TN pigs exhibited higherpHu and lower GP but IMF and drip loss similar to TN–TNpigs in LM. No difference in color were found between CD–TN and TN–TN pigs in LM and GS, but CD–CD pigs exhibitedhigher redness and yellowness in both muscles. Coldenvironment affected appearance (higher redness) and texture(lower fibrousness) of loin and improved pork odor but did notmodify tenderness or juiciness. Short- and long-term effectsof low temperature during rearing period could explain meatquality differences at commercial slaughter weight. Most ofshort-term effects of cold environment on muscle metabolismare persistent at older stages and influence pork meat quality.

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