Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T23:53:53.528Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Enhancing pork flavor and fat quality with swine raised in sylvan systems: Potential niche-market application for the Ossabaw hog

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2007

Charles W. Talbott ,
M. Todd See ,
Peter Kaminsky ,
Don Bixby ,
Michael Sturek ,
I. Lehr Brisbin  and
Charles Kadzere
Charles W. Talbott*
Affiliation:
Sustainable Integrated Systems transforming agriculture (SISta), 293 Rufus Brewer Road, Silver City, NC 27344, USA,.
M. Todd See
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, North Carolina State University, Box 7621, Park Hall, Raleigh, NC 27695-7621, USA,.
Peter Kaminsky
Affiliation:
Food and Wine Section, The New York Times, Brooklyn, NY, USA,.
Don Bixby
Affiliation:
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, Box 477, Pittsboro, NC 27312, USA,.
Michael Sturek
Affiliation:
Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, 635 Barnhill Drive, Room 385, Indianapolis, IN 46202-5120, USA,.
I. Lehr Brisbin
Affiliation:
Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, PO Drawer E, Asiken, SC 29802, USA,.
Charles Kadzere
Affiliation:
Sustainable Integrated Systems transforming agriculture (SISta), 293 Rufus Brewer Road, Silver City, NC 27344, USA,.
*
*Corresponding author: Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Our global food supply becomes more vulnerable as we continue to lose diverse genetic resources. The Ossabaw hog is a feral breed that is unique to North America, a distant relative to the renowned Iberian hog and is considered an endangered swine breed. The objective of our farmer participatory project was to examine the meat and fat characteristics of Ossabaw hogs raised in alternative management systems for niche-market application. At one farm, eight Ossabaw pigs were randomly assigned to a grass pasture and fed a free choice corn–soy (CS) ration or placed in a mixed hardwood forest plot and provided free choice peanuts in the shells (P), alfalfa pellets (A) and mast from the mixed hardwoods (diet collectively referred to as PAM). The two diets had no effect on Ossabaw production data or pork quality characteristics; however, fat profiles were altered. Ossabaws weighed approximately 70 kg when harvested at 400 days and produced chops with small loin eyes (21–23 cm2) and minimal evidence of intramuscular fat deposits (1%). The unsaturated fatty acid (USFA) to saturated fatty acid (SFA) ratio improved from 1.6 to 2.6 (P<0.01) as a result of feeding the PAM diet. Forest-finished Ossabaw pork was considered more flavorful by food critics and renowned chefs than that of conventionally fed animals. Mast from hardwoods offers the possibility of enhancing pork flavor for niche markets and using a renewable forest resource as a food source. For farm two, eight Ossabaw gilts and eight crossbred progeny (from European breeds) were randomly assigned to one of the two dirt-lots and fed free choice a CS ration or PA diet (same ration as mentioned above with no mast). Ossabaw hogs grew nearly one-third as fast as the crosses and weighed approximately 80% of the crosses' harvest weight at twice their age. Loin eye areas of the crosses were nearly twice as large as the Ossabaws while the subcutaneous back fat deposition was nearly half. Compared to the CS diet, the PA ration decreased SFA by 23% while polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) increased by 60%. The USFA to SFA ratios improved from 1.5 to 2.2 (P<0.01) when PA diets were fed. Differences (P<0.05) in USFA profiles were observed for breed effects; Ossabaws had 8% higher levels of monounsaturated fatty acids and 18% lower PUFA levels than the crosses. When adjusted for breed effects, no differences in sensory characteristics for the CS versus PA diets were detected by a trained panel. Ossabaws were more flavorful than the crosses (2.3 versus 1.6); (P<0.05).

Keywords

Ossabaw hogsendangered breedsniche marketsalternative dietsmastsylvo-pastoralhealthy pork
Type
Review Article
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 21 , Issue 3 , September 2006 , pp. 183 - 191
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

01FAO (2004) Biodiversity for Food Security. RAP Publication 2004/26, Bangkok, Thailand.Google Scholar
02Kohler-Rollefson,, I. 2000. Management of animal genetic diversity at community level. Report prepared for GTZ, Eschborn.Google Scholar
03Scherf,, B.D. (ed.). (2000) World Watch List for Domestic Animal Diversity. 3rd ed. FOA, Rome, Italy.Google Scholar
04Talbott,, C., See,, T., Ahmedna,, M., Fennell,, H., Gunthorp,, G., and Willis,, P. (2004) Potential for small-scale farmers to produce niche market pork using alternative diets, breeds and rearing environments: observations from North Carolina. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 19: 3 135–140.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
05Bixby,, D. (2003) Swine Census Completed. In News. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy 20: 1.Google Scholar
06Mayer,, J.J. and Brisbin,, I.L. (1991) Wild Pigs in the United States: Their History, Comparative Morphology and Current Status. University of Georgia Press, Athens.Google Scholar
07Young,, R.A. (1976) Fat, energy and mammalian survival. American Zoologist 16: 699–710.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
08Zervanos,, S.M., McCort,, W.D., and Graves,, H.B. (1983) Salt and water balance of feral versus domestic hampshire hogs. Physiological Zoology 56: 67–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
09Dyson,, M.C., Alloosh,, M., Boullion,, R.D., Mokelke,, E.A., and Sturek,, M. (2004) Glucose intolerance and insulin resistance in Ossabaw compared to Yucatan swine. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal 18: A1224.Google Scholar
10Kaser,, S., Mokelke,, E.A., Zafar,, M.N., Dyson,, M.C., and Sturek,, M. (2004) Microvascular dysfunction after coronary stenting in a porcine model of the metabolic syndrome. Diabetes 53: A408–A409 Suppl. 2.Google Scholar
11Zafar,, M.N., Kaser,, S., Mokelke,, E.A., Alloosh,, M., Dyson,, M.C., and Sturek,, M. (2004) Ossabaw swine having the metabolic syndrome exhibit greater neointimal hyperplasia after coronary stent placement than lean Yucatan swine. Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal 18: A565.Google Scholar
12Graves,, H.B. (1984) Behavior and ecology of wild and feral swine. Journal of Animal Science 18: 482.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13Brisbin,, I.L., Romanek,, C., and Sturek,, M. (2004) Pigs in a poke: when scientific research sheds new light on conventional wisdom in an environmental ethic debate. Journal of the Presbyterian Association on Science, Technology, and the Christian Faith 13: 4 1.Google Scholar
14Waller,, D. and Barrett,, L. 2001. ‘Ossabaw Island Comprehensive Management Plan’. Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division, Social Circle, Georgia.Google Scholar
15Carrapiso,, A.I., Jurudo,, A., Timon,, M.L., and Garcia,, C. (2002) Odor-active compounds of Iberian hams with different aroma characteristics. Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry 50: 22 6453–6458.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16Martin,, M., Carnicero,, M., and Ruiz,, J. (1992) The Iberian pig: an animal with a high content of monounsaturated fatty acids. Journal of Hospital Nutrition 7: 5 329.Google Scholar
17Morrison,, F.B. (1949) Feeds and Feeding: A Handbook for the Student and Stockman. 21st ed. The Morrison Publishing Co. Ithaca, NY.Google Scholar
18West,, R.L. and Meyer,, R.O. (1987) Carcass and meat quality characteristics and backfat fatty acid composition of swine as affected by the composition of peanuts remaining in the field after harvest. Journal of Animal Science 65: 475.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19Rhee,, K.S., Davidson,, T.L., Knabe,, D.A., Cross,, H.R., and Ziprin,, Y.A. (1988) Effects of dietary high oleic sunflower oil on pork carcass and fatty acid profiles of raw tissues. Meat Science 24: 249.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20Miller,, M.F., Shackelford,, S.D., Hayden,, K.D., and Reagan,, J.O. (1990) Determination of the alteration in fatty acid profiles, sensory characteristics and carcass traits of swine fed elevated levels of monounsaturated fats in the diet. Journal of Animal Science 68: 1624.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
21Skelley,, G.C., Borgman,, R.F., and Handlin,, D.L. (1975) Influence of diet on quality, fatty acids and acceptability of pork. Journal of Animal Science 41: 1298.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
22Matson,, F.H. and Grundy,, S.M. (1985) Comparison of effects of dietary saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids on plasma lipids and lipoproteins in man. Journal of Lipid Research 26: 194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
23Stewart,, J.W., Kaplan,, M.L., and Beitz,, D.C. (2001) Pork with a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids lowers LDL cholesterol in women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 74: 179.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24Hennseey,, D.P. and Williamson,, P.E. (1984) Stress and summer infertility. Australian Veterinary Journal 61(7): 212–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
25Talbott,, C.W., Reddy,, G.B., Raczkowsky,, C., Barrios,, T., Matlapudi,, M., Coffee,, A., and Andrews,, J. (2004) Environmental impact of integrating crop and sylvan systems with swine. Journal of Animal Science 82: 303 Abstr Suppl. 1.Google Scholar
26Wigginton,, E. (1968) The Foxfire Book. Anchor Press, Garden City, NY.Google Scholar
27NPPC. 2000. Pork Quality Standards. National Pork Producers Council, Des Moines, IA.Google Scholar
28Carreau,, J.P. and Dubacq,, J.P. (1978) Adaptation of a macro-scale method to the micro-scale for fatty acid methyl transesterification of biological lipid extracts. Journal of Chromatography 151: 384–393.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
29Sehat,, N., Kramer,, J.K.G., Mossoba,, M.M., Yurawecz,, M.P., Roach,, J.A.G., Eulitz,, K., Morehouse,, K.M., and Ku,, Y. (1998) Identification of conjugated linoleic acid isomers in cheese by gas chromatography, silver ion high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectral reconstructed ion profiles. Comparison of chromatographic elution sequences. Lipids 33: 963–971.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
30SAS Institute Inc. 1994. SAS/STAT User's Guide: Version 6. 4th ed. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC.Google Scholar
31Ncube,, M., Dzama,, K., Chimonyo,, M., Kanengoni,, A., and Hamudikuwanda,, H. (2003) Effect of boar genotype on reproductive performance of the local sows of Zimbabwe. Livestock Research for Rural Development 15: 2.Google Scholar
32Barrios,, T. 2004. Producing designer pork with small-scale producers for niche markets. MS thesis, NC A&T SU, Greensboro, NC.Google Scholar
33Morales,, J., Baucells,, M.D., Perez,, J.F., Mourot,, J., and Grasa,, J. (2003) Body fat content, composition and distribution in Landrace and Iberian finishing pigs given ad-libitum maize- and acorn-sorghum-maize-based diets. British Society of Animal Science 77: 215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
34Myer,, R.O., Lamkey,, J.W., Walker,, W.R., Brendemuhl,, J.H., and Combs,, G.E. (1992) Performance and carcass characteristics of swine when fed diets containing Canola oil and added copper to alter the unsaturated:saturated ratio of pork fat. Journal of Animal Science 70: 5 1417–1423.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
35Behr,, E. 1999. ‘The Lost Taste of Pork: Finding a Place for the Iowa Family Farm’; The Art of Eating. Vol. 51:. Peachum, VT.Google Scholar
36Popper,, D. and Popper,, F. 2006. ‘The Buffalo Commons as Regional Metaphor and Geographic Method,’ draft accepted by Geographical Review. Website http://www.gprc.org/buffalo_commons_popper.html (verified September 8, 2005).Google Scholar