Robbins Yvette, Park Hyeon-Suk, Tennant Travis, Hanson Dana, Whitley Niki, Min Byungrok, Oh Sang-Hyon
Department of Animal Science, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA.
Department of Agricultural Sciences, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, TX 79016, USA.
Asian-Australas J Anim Sci. 2019 Feb 7;32(9):1475-1481. doi: 10.5713/ajas.18.0670. Print 2019 Sep.
The objective of the present study was to investigate pork quality from Hereford×Berkshire (HB) female and intact male pigs reared outdoors in an alternative production system.
Berkshire purebred sows were artificially inseminated, once in the fall and again in the spring of the following year, with semen from Hereford boars and managed free of antibiotics in an outdoor hoop structure until the last month of pregnancy, after which they were moved to a pasture-based unit of 0.8 hectares with individual lots with a farrowing hut, shade, and water ad libitum. Piglets were weaned at 4 weeks of age and housed in a deep-bedded hoop structure, grouped by sex. Animals were harvested at market weight of 125 kg, approximately 200 days of age. Hot carcass weight was collected at the time of the harvest. After 24 hours of refrigeration, carcass characteristics were measured. Longissimus dorsi samples collected from the right side loin. Loins were cut into 2.54-cm thick chops and were used to measure marbling score, color score, drip loss, and ultimate pH. Sensory panel tests were conducted as well at North Carolina State University. For pork characteristics and sensory panel data, trial and sex were included in the statistical model as fixed effects. Hot carcass weight was included in the model as a covariate for backfat thickness.
Neither the subjective nor the objective color scores displayed any differences between the boars and the gilts. No difference was found for pH and marbling score between trials or sexes. Gilts had a thicker backfat measurement at the last lumbar and a narrower longissimus muscle area measurement when compared to the boars. The only difference in the sensory characteristics was found between the trials for texture and moisture scores.
Consumers were not able to detect boar taint under the condition of this study, which is that the intact males were reared outdoors. Additional trials would be necessary; however, based on the results of the present study, outdoor rearing can be suggested as a solution to the issue of boar taint.
本研究的目的是调查在替代生产系统中户外饲养的赫里福德×伯克夏（HB）母猪和未阉割公猪的猪肉品质。
伯克夏纯种母猪在秋季进行一次人工授精，并于次年春季再次人工授精，所用精液来自赫里福德公猪。母猪在户外环形猪舍中饲养，全程不使用抗生素，直至怀孕最后一个月，之后转移至一个0.8公顷的牧场式养殖单元，每个个体圈舍配有产仔棚、遮阳设施和充足的饮水。仔猪在4周龄时断奶，按性别分组饲养在铺垫料深厚的环形猪舍中。猪只在体重达125千克（约200日龄）时出栏屠宰。屠宰时记录热胴体重。冷藏24小时后，测量胴体特征。从右侧腰大肌采集样本。腰大肌切成2.54厘米厚的猪排，用于测量大理石纹评分、颜色评分、滴水损失和最终pH值。北卡罗来纳州立大学也进行了感官评定试验。对于猪肉特性和感官评定数据，将试验和性别作为固定效应纳入统计模型。热胴体重作为背膘厚度模型的协变量纳入模型。
公猪和小母猪之间的主观和客观颜色评分均无差异。试验或性别之间在pH值和大理石纹评分方面未发现差异。与公猪相比，小母猪最后腰椎处背膘更厚且腰大肌面积测量值更窄。感官特性方面唯一的差异体现在不同试验组之间质地和水分评分上。
在本研究条件下，即未阉割公猪在户外饲养，消费者无法检测到公猪异味。尽管还需要进一步试验；然而，基于本研究结果，户外饲养可被视为解决公猪异味问题的一种方法。
