It is desirable to increase fatness in gilts destined for Teruel dry-cured ham production. A total of 192 Duroc × (Landrace × Large White) gilts of 40.3 ± 4.80 kg body weight (BW) were used to assess the impact of immunocastration and feeding on growth performance, serum metabolites and sex hormones, reproductive organ development, and carcass quality. Six treatments were arranged factorially (2 × 3) with two types of gilt (entire gilts (EG) vs. immunocastrated gilts (IG)) and three experimental diets (control vs. high energy vs. low crude protein and amino acids) provided from 76 to 134 kg BW (n = 4 per treatment, being the replicate the pen with eight pigs). Immunocastration was carried out at 58 and 77 kg BW. The IG grew faster and showed lighter reproductive tracts and greater fatness than EG. The experimental feeds had limited effect on carcass quality, but the high-energy diet improved gain-to-feed ratio and the low-protein and -amino-acids diet did not impair growth performance. In conclusion, immunocastration was a better strategy than the tested diets to increase the fatness of gilts intended for Teruel dry-cured ham, although increasing energy or decreasing crude protein and amino acid levels in the diet could be beneficial strategies for pig farmers.

Increasing fatness and avoiding puberty are desirable in gilts intended for high-quality dry-cured ham production. A total of 48 Duroc x (Landrace x Large White) females of 26.5 ± 3.70 kg body weight (BW) were used to evaluate the impact of immunocastration and to find the optimum application time of the second dose for immunocastration on growth; sex hormones; reproductive tract development; and carcass, meat, and fat quality. Gilts were allocated to four experimental treatments (n = 12): control (entire gilts, EG) and immunocastrated gilts (IG), providing the second dose at 12, 9, or 7 weeks before slaughter (with approximately 60, 75, or 90 kg BW, respectively). Mean slaughter BW was 125 kg. Immunocastrated gilts had lighter reproductive tracts and greater fat thickness than EG. Fat from IG was more saturated and less polyunsaturated than that from EG. Numerically, gilts immunocastrated 9 and 12 weeks before slaughter presented higher fatness than those immunocastrated 7 weeks before slaughter. In conclusion, immunocastration is a good strategy to improve the fatness of gilts destined to dry-cured ham elaboration, with the optimum time for the second dose application seemingly between 9 and 12 weeks before slaughter.

The objective of this trial was to study the impact of slaughter weight (SW) class: heavy (≥120 kg) or light (<120 kg) on carcass fatness, development of main lean cuts and fat composition in barrows and gilts intended for dry-cured ham and shoulder elaboration. A total of 181 Duroc × (Landrace × Large White) pigs was used, being 94 barrows and 87 gilts. Carcasses from barrows had lower ham compactness but higher shoulder:ham weight ratio than those from gilts. The allometric growth coefficient of ham was higher in gilts whereas those for shoulder, loin and shoulder/ham were higher in barrows. An interaction sex × SW class was found for carcass fatness; the increase of fat thickness was higher in barrows than in gilts in light SW class but higher in gilts than in barrows in heavy SW class. In addition, the allometric growth coefficients for ham, loin and shoulder:ham ratio were higher in light than in heavy pigs. Percentage of rejected carcasses at slaughterhouse, due to lack of fat thickness, was higher for females than for barrows and for light than for heavy pigs. Sex and SW class had no effect on intramuscular fat content. However, more saturation was found in fat (intramuscular) from barrows and in that (subcutaneous) from light pigs. It can be concluded that carcasses from barrows are commercially more suitable than those from gilts and heavy SW might be more interesting when animals are intended for Teruel dry-cured ham and shoulder production.

Two experiments were carried out; one with female pigs and the other with male pigs destined for Teruel dry-cured ham production, to evaluate the effect of immunocastration (entire gilts-EG vs. immunocastrated gilts-IG and surgically castrated males vs. immunocastrated males-IM) and diet (control vs. high energy vs. low crude protein and amino acids) on meat quality and fat composition. Fifteen meat samples and eight fat samples of each treatment were analyzed in both experiments. In the case of males, six fat samples per treatment were analyzed to determine boar taint. Immunocastration is a good strategy in gilts intended for dry-cured ham production because improves meat composition; however, in males, immunocastration impairs the results of pork chemical composition compared with surgical castration. The IG presented a lower polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acids ratio than EG, improving fat technological quality. Diets had little effect on pork or fat quality in gilts, but a high-energy level using oilseeds and a low-crude-protein and -amino-acids diet from 80 to 137 kg of body weight could be interesting in IM to maintain or increase fat consistency, respectively. Moreover, in general, immunocastration is effective in avoiding boar taint in males.

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A trial was carried out to study the effect of type of castration and diet on pigs destined for Teruel ham production, which is a Spanish protected designation of origin for dry-cured ham. A total of 144 Duroc × (Landrace × Large White) male pigs were used. Half of them were surgically castrated and the other half were immunocastrated with three doses at approximately 25, 58 and 79 kg of body weight. Furthermore, three diets (control vs. high energy vs. low crude protein-CP- and amino acids-AA) were tested from 80 to 137 kg of body weight. Growth performance, serum sex hormones and metabolites, and carcass quality were evaluated. Immunocastrated males grew faster and had better feed conversion ratio than surgically castrated males, but presented lower carcass fatness. Pigs fed the high-energy diet and the low-CP and -AA diet were more efficient at transforming feed into gain than those fed the control diet, but no effect was detected on carcass quality. In conclusion, surgically castrated males are preferable than immunocastrated males for Teruel dry-cured ham elaboration. Besides, a high-energy diet or a low-CP and -AA diet might improve productive performances, but does not provide any benefit in terms of carcass quality.

A total of 62 highly prolific Danbred sows was used to evaluate the implications of increasing dietary amino acid (AA) concentration during late gestation (from day 77 to 107 of pregnancy) on body condition and reproductive performances. Sows were assigned to one of the two treatments (n = 31, with similar number of sows in the second-, third- and fourth-cycle); control diet (containing 6 g of standardized ileal digestible lysine -SID Lys-)/kg) and high AA level (containing 10 g SID Lys/kg and following the ideal protein concept for the remaining essential AA). On day 108 of pregnancy, animals were moved to the farrowing-lactating facilities where they spent until weaning receiving a common standard lactation diet. After farrowing, litters were standardized to 13 piglets each. At 107 d of gestation, backfat depth was thicker in sows fed high AA concentration than in those fed control diet (p < 0.0001) but these significant differences disappeared at weaning (p > 0.05). Additionally, at farrowing, the litter size (p = 0.043) and weight (p = 0.017) were higher in sows fed high AA level. It can be concluded that the increase in the AA content in the feed during the last month of gestation could improve the body condition of the sows and their performance results.

Aim of study: To evaluate the effect of the type of male castration (surgical vs. immunological) on the characteristics of Teruel dry-cured hams.             Area of study: Teruel and Zaragoza (Spain).             Material and methods: A total of 14 dry-cured hams from Duroc × (Landrace × Large White) male pigs intended for the Spanish Protected Designation of Origin ˈTeruel hamˈ were used. Half of them belonged to surgical castrated males (SCM) and the other half to immunocastrated males (IM). Ham weight losses during processing, physical and chemical characteristics were analyzed.             Main results: There were no differences (p>0.05) due to the type of castration in ham weight losses throughout processing, thickness of subcutaneous fat, marbling, maximum stress and intramuscular fatty acid profile. However, hams from IM presented lower (p<0.05) chroma than those from SCM. The type of castration had limited influence on chemical composition; only potassium nitrate and retinol contents were affected (p<0.05), being lower in IM than in SCM. For volatile compounds, IM showed lower (p<0.05) percentages of total alcohols and sulfur compounds and higher (p=0.012) proportion of total acids than SCM. All the hams had negligible androstenone content but IM presented higher (p<0.05) skatole and indole concentrations than SCM, being these levels low.             Research highlights: The type of castration in male pigs seems to have scarce influence on the quality of Teruel dry-cured hams, and therefore, immunocastration could be considered as a possible alternative to surgical castration.