Effect of slaughter weight on production and meat quality of Juema pig

Abstract

Juema pig, a native pig in China, is produced in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and recognized as a national animal conservation germplasm. In this study, production performance, slaughter weight and meat quality of the Juema pig slaughtered at different slaughter weights (25, 30, 35, 40 and 45kg) were determined in order to explore the relationship between meat quality and body weight. The results showed that the dressing percentage was the highest (66.13%) at 40kg slaughter weight. Pork quality analysis showed that the range of meat pH1 was 6.30 to 6.50; marbling scores ranged from 3.50 to 4.05. The amino acid content of main flavor was the highest (23.91%), and the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids was the highest (1.30) at 40kg slaughter weight. The gray correlation comprehensive assessment demonstrated that the meat quality of the Juema pig was the best when slaughtered at 40kg slaughter weight.