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Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) label for pork of local breeds - the case of Turopolje pig

The Turopolje pig (TP) is an endangered Croatian breed traditionally raised in open ecosystems of oak forests and wetlands of the Turopolje region. Recent research with Croatian consumers and stakeholders has shown that the TP breed needs to be valorised with value-added products to enable more sustainable breeding. Therefore, a new conservation strategy was proposed based on the traditional production system and the niche of labelled products. Within this strategy, the Noble Municipality of Turopolje - Section of Turopolje Pig Breeders - has recently applied for the EU Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) label for fresh meat from TP (PDO "Meso turopoljske svinje"). The main points on which the PDO application is based are characteristics of the TP meat essentially linked to the terroir, including natural and human resources. In the case of TP, these are the relief-geographical, climatic and biotic factors of the local lowland forest ecosystems, which favoured the early development of pig breeding in the Turopolje area, whose inhabitants have been well-known pig farmers for centuries. Moreover, TP, as one of the oldest European pig breeds, has developed without major external influences over a long period of time, during which the continuous interaction between genotype and environment has adapted the breed to the use of natural resources. The production system with grazing and use of naturally available feed sources, the innate breed characteristics such as robustness, slow growth and the ability to produce fat, as well as the absence of intensive selection and crossbreeding with other breeds affect the development of body tissues and typical characteristics of the TP meat. For instance, higher muscle activity and slaughter age result in greater accumulation of muscle pigment, which is reflected in darker and more reddish meat colour. Meat and fat colour is also more stable due to more diverse food choices and the intake of natural antioxidants and other ingredients that help stabilise tissues. The smaller diameter of the muscle fibres provides a finer texture to the meat, which is compact and has better water- holding capacity than conventional pork. In addition, the meat of TP naturally has a higher degree of lipid deposition, especially in the subcutaneous fat and between the muscle tissues. As a result, the cooked meat has an elastic-juicy texture, a full flavour and a specific aroma of dissolved meat fats when eaten. Due to traditional free-range farming and distinctive meat and fat quality, the meat from TP is considered better and more appreciated than conventional pork by most of today's consumers, especially local ones.

Turopolje pig ; pork meat ; food labels ; geographical indications ; PDO

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