Effect of weaning age and sex on meat quality traits of pigs raised under intensive system and slaughtered at 70 Kg body weight

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the effects of weaning age and sex on carcass quality of pigs slaughtered at 70 kg body weight. A total of 24 piglets were purchased at birth from a commercial farmer and were assigned to three weaning ages: 21 days (treatment 1), 28 days (treatment 2) and 35 days (treatment 3). Feed and water were given ad libitum up to 70 kg slaughter weight. Pigs were slaughtered humanely using electrical stunning and the carcasses were dissected into two halves, right and left. From the left carcass, four 2.5 cm thick chops were removed from longissimus muscle. The chops were cut at the 9th, 12th, 13th and 14th ribs to measure tenderness, pH, drip loss and meat colour, respectively. Meat pH was measured using pH meter with glass probe while drip loss was measured using gravimetric method. Meat colour was measured on chops taken at 13th rib using Konica Minolta Chroma Meter CR-410 (Konica Minolta Sensing, INC., Japan) while tenderness was measured on boiled meat using TMS light weight blade (1.2 mm thick) attached to a 2.5 KN TMS PRO texture analyser (Food Technology Corporation, West Sussex, UK). Data were analysed as completely randomised design (CRD) using the General Linear Model (GLM) of statistical analysis system, version 9.3. Weaning age did not have significant (P > 0.05) effect on meat quality. Sex had significant (P = 0.03) effect on yellowness of meat of pigs weaned at 35 days of age. Males had significantly more yellow meat (9.50 ± 0.45) than females (7.63 ± 0.45). However, sex had no significant effect on drip loss, lightness, redness, pH and tenderness. Piglets can be weaned at 21, 28 or 35 days of age without negatively affecting meat quality. A 21 day weaning age is recommended as pigs weaned at 21 days reach market weight early.