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Carcass and meat quality in “iron age” pigs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 November 2017

J.D. Wood  and
G.R. Nute
J.D. Wood
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Food Research - Bristol Laboratory, Langford, Bristol BS18 7DY
G.R. Nute
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Food Research - Bristol Laboratory, Langford, Bristol BS18 7DY
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Extract

There is anecdotal evidence that the meat of wild pigs is particularly tasty and their carcasses are lean. However it may be that the nature of the wild existence - high energy demands, low energy diet, unusual ingredients eg acorns and plant roots - is important in conferring these qualities. This Study was done to determine whether semi-wild pigs - the so called “Iron Age” breed - are different from typical modern white pigs (Large Whites) when both are reared on ‘modern’ commercial diets. Tests on carcass composition and meat quality were therefore made.

“Iron Age” pigs (IAP) were formed at the Cotswold Farm Park by crossing the European Wild Pig with the Tamworth. Three litters were obtained from 2 sires and 1 female and the progeny reared from about 20 kg on a pelleted diet (13.0 MJDE/kg) fed ad libitum. Slaughter was at approximately 60 kg live weight for the 18 IAP and 6 Large White (LW) pigs (balanced for sex) used in the tasting tests and between 10 and 240 kg for the dissected animals (250 LW, 19 IAP) - these data were then corrected to 65 kg live weight. The LW pigs were from several litters reared on the Institute farm.

Type
Novel Forms of Animal Production
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production (1972) , Volume 1990 , March 1990 , pp. 74
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Production 1990

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