The thickness and quality of backfat in various pig breeds and their relationship to intramuscular fat and the setting of joints from the carcasses.

The characteristics of backfat were measured in carcasses from 233 pigs representing eleven breeds. Animals were fed ad libitum and killed at an average live weight of 62 kg. In breeds in which the backfat was thicker it was also firmer and contained less water. In leaner breeds there was reduced cohesiveness of fat and muscle components of the loin joint so that the fat separated more easily from the underlying lean. This contributed to joints which were subjectively assessed as less firm and well set. Fatter breeds tended to have Longissimus muscles which contained more intramuscular fat. However, the relationship between muscle fat and carcass fat was poor suggesting that, if it was thought desirable to select for increased intramuscular fat in the interests of meat palatability, then this could be achieved without making carcasses undesirably fat. Differences in fat characteristics between breeds were apparently largely attributable to differences in fatness rather than inherent breed factors.
(Copyright © 1990. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)