Dados do Trabalho

Título

MEAT QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF MOURA PIGS RAISED IN AN OUTDOOR SYSTEM IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

Introdução

Moura pig is a local swine breed, adapted to southern Brazil, commonly raised in outdoor rearing systems, that has been rescued and valued as raw material for high-value-added products. This study aimed to compare meat quality characteristics and muscle fibers types of Moura pigs (MO) and commercial crossbreed pigs (CC).

Material e Métodos

Parameters such as pH 24h after slaughter, meat color with a colorimeter (CIELab), drip loss, moisture and intramuscular fat contents and types of muscle fibers using NADH-nitrobluetetrazolium staining method, were evaluated.

Resultados e Discussão

MO pigs had a higher pH24h than CC pigs (5.89 vs 5.78; p=0.09). CC pigs showed greater drip loss (6.34% vs. 2.97%) (p<0.05) than MO pigs. MO meat was lighter (L*) (57.43 vs 51.24) and redder (a*) (4.02 vs 1.34) than meat from CC pigs (p<0.01). MO pigs had higher intramuscular fat (IMF) (3.62 vs 1.80g/100g) than CC pigs, while CC pigs had higher moisture content (73.72 vs 71.48g/100g) (p<0.01). MO pigs had higher relatives areas of oxidative (Ia) (11.24% vs. 7.30%) and intermediate (IIa) (23.77% vs. 10.81%) muscle fibers, while CC pigs had higher glycolytic fibers (IIb) relatives areas (81.89% vs 64.99%) (p<0.01).

Conclusão

The pH24h trended higher for MO pigs. Their lower drip loss, compared to CC pigs, can be attributed to their higher intramuscular fat (IMF) content, lower moisture content, and greater relative area of oxidative (Ia) muscle fibers. The higher a* value and lower L* value of MO pig meat, compared to CC pigs, is due to the greater Ia and IIa fibers relatives areas, and the lower IIb fibers relative area amount. Local breed pigs exhibit higher IMF content and redder meat than lean commercial pigs. They also have a greater amount of myoglobin in their muscles, likely due to the higher quantity of muscle fibers with oxidative metabolism, influenced by outdoor rearing conditions. The study concluded that higher IFM and greater relative quantity of Ia and IIa muscle fibers in MO pigs, with the lowest drip loss, attributes to MO higher meat quality than CC.