Fattening performance, carcass traits, and meat quality of pigs from DanBred sows and Topigs Norsvin boars

Abstract The study evaluated fatteners produced by crossing DanBred Yorkshire-Landrace (YL) sows with purebred Landrace, Pietrain, and Duroc boars from Topigs Norsvin. Approximately 200 pigs were assessed per crossbred group. From each group, 60 carcasses were analysed for lean meat content using the AutoFom device, and longissimus lumborum (LL) muscles from 30 carcasses were collected for meat quality evaluation. Pigs sired by Duroc boars exhibited significantly higher average daily gain (ADG) than Pietrain-sired pigs, while feed intake and feed conversion efficiency did not differ among groups. Carcasses from Landrace- and Pietrain-sired pigs contained more lean meat than those from Duroc-sired pigs. Across individual cuts (ham, loin, shoulder, and belly), Pietrain-sired pigs showed the highest lean meat content, followed by Landrace, with the lowest values observed in the Duroc group. Meat quality traits were most favourable in Duroc-sired pigs, as indicated by higher pH values and lower drip and thawing losses in both fresh and frozen meat. Their LL muscles also contained higher dry matter and intramuscular fat (IMF) levels compared with those of Landraceand Pietrain-sired pigs. These attributes translated into superior sensory quality, reflected in higher scores for aroma, tenderness, juiciness, and flavour, as well as lower shear force values.