Evaluation and Control of Meat Quality in Pigs

P V Tarrant The European Camunity is the second largest producer of pigneat in the world, slaughtering 129 million pigs in 1983. Pig prcxluction in the EC is an efficient industry. Further growth will depend heavily on increasing pigneats I share of EC consUl'l'er demand for neat prcxlucts. Consequently prices and conSUl'l'er habits are tecaning increasingly relevant. Against this background, the control of neat quality is a natter of sane urgence, hence the necessity for this seminar. There is concern that the eating quality of pork nay l:e declining. Organoleptic problems including dryness, hardness and inferior flavour have teen reported. Furthernore the classical stress-related neat quality defects of PSE and DFD are still of najor concern. On another front, there is a growing interest arrong the r:ublic in pig v.elfare during prcxl- uction, tra'1sport and slaughter. It is v.ell known that there is an unfavourable correlation l:etv.een neat quality and neat quantity in pigs. This is nanifested in higher nortality rates (PSS) and lower neat quality (PSE) in otherwise superior stock. The pathogenesis of PSS is v.ell docunented. Affected aninals are susceptible to a cardiorespiratory complex induced by relatively common stressors and rigor nortis develops rapidly after death, inducing the PSE condition in the musculature.