Pig carcass quality and pH₁ values of meat

The data on 964 pig carcasses were examined with the objective to determine the relationship between a high carcass lean meat content in currently used pig hybrids and deterioration of the quality traits important for further processing of meat. The average slaughter weight of pigs was equal to 106.2 ± 0.417 kg. Lean meat percentage determined by the FOM instrument with the average value of 54.50 ± 0.139% was used as the main quantitative carcass trait. For the assessment of meat quality, the pH₁ value (average 6.15 ± 0.011) was used in the same way as in the system of breeding animals’ progeny testing. The relationship between the mentioned traits is characterised by the low correlation coefficient r = –0.13. This result was further confirmed by correlations determined between pH₁ and loin, shoulder and ham percentages (r = –0.33, r = –0.13 and r = –0.12, respectively). These relationships are rather surprising as the studies from the beginning and the first phase of realization of hybridisation programmes usually emphasized that the increasing lean meat content in carcass was connected with the higher incidence of negative side effects. Our conclusions are also in agreement with the results of the separate analysis of carcasses with pH₁ above 5.8 and equal to or lower than 5.8. The carcasses with pH₁ referring to less favourable technological properties of meat showed somewhat higher average values characterising carcass meat content but the differences between the groups were small and insignificant. We were not able to find any relationships between higher meat contents in carcasses and less favourable pH₁ values when the carcasses were classified according to meat content.