Carcass and meat quality of different pig genotypes in an organic extensive outdoor fatting system

Summary

Carcass, meat, and fat quality were evaluated of 37 castrates of 4 different genotypes [Pi*Du*GLR (10), Pi*AS (7), Du (10), Du*GLR (10)] kept on grass clover and fed with coarse meal made up of farm grown cereal and grain legumes without optimising the amount of amino acids and their relation to the energy content. Due to the energy surplus in the diet and in relation to the diminishing muscularity of the genotypes (corresponding to the above-mentioned sequence) lean meat contents were on a low level whereas intramuscular fat contents increased distinctly. Sensory meat quality was only at a medium level and did not differ noticeably between the genotypes. It is concluded that adipose carcasses associated with increased intramuscular fat contents do not lead automatically to higher sensory meat qualities. Therefore the system boundaries of organic pig fattening cannot be used without further efforts supplying market niches for pork of high eating quality.