engleski

Influence of on-farm resting time on some meat quality parameters in sows

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of the on-farm resting period (RT) prior to slaughter in an on-farm outdoor facility on the meat quality parameters of culled sows. The study was conducted on 24 Large White x Landrace sows, divided into three groups according to the duration of RT: control group (n=10, CG) with sows destined for slaughter without on-farm RT ; first experimental group (n=7, E1) with sows destined for slaughter after 14 days RT ; and second experimental group (n=7, E2) destined for slaughter after 28 days RT. The sows entered the experiment after two to four farrowing at approximately 2 years of age and 250 kg live weight (LW). During the trial, sows from E1 and E2 groups were housed in the same conditions and fed the same diet with ad libitum access to feed and water. After 0-, 7- or 14-days RT, animals were transported to a nearby abattoir (less than 1 hour) where they were slaughtered without lairage. To enhance food safety and meat quality animals were fasted for 18h prior slaughter. After exsanguination following stunning with CO2, the following meat quality characteristics were determined: pH and electrical conductivity 45 minutes and 24 hours after slaughter in the longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) and in the semimembranosus muscle (SM), together with colour (CIE L*a*b*), drip loss and instrumental tenderness of the LTL muscle. The RT influenced nearly all meat quality traits studied, with the exception of electrical conductivity measured 45 minutes post mortem and instrumental tenderness. LTL and SM from CG sows exhibited significantly higher (p<0.05) pH values measured both 45 minutes and 24 hours after slaughter than meat from groups E1 and E2. E1 and E2 did not differ from each other in these traits. Although no significant differences were found between investigated groups for CIE L*, the LTL muscle of the CG sows tended to be darker (p=0.06) than the LTL of the E2 group. The LTL muscle of the E1 group exhibited the highest (p<0.05) CIE a* and CIE b*, while the lowest values for both colour coordinates were observed in the CG group. The meat from the CG group had also the lowest drip loss (p < 0.05), while E1 and E2 did not differ in this trait. The results of this study indicate that even a 14-day rest/recovery period of the sows on the farm can significantly improve their meat quality traits.

sows ; meat quality ; recovery time ; slaughter

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