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In the present study, the effect of marbling level of pork and the quality attributes of pork loins obtained from 42 pure Duroc ¥ pure Iberian pigs (21 castrates, 21 sows) were studied. Generally, sex had less influence than degree of marbling on loin quality: results for physicochemical characteristics and color were similar for castrates and sows, whereas differences in marbling prompted significant differences (P < 0.05) for almost all parameters tested. Pressure-induced water loss, moisture, protein and ash content all increased as the degree of marbling decreased; by contrast, fat content, calorie content and color parameters L* and b* all rose with increased marbling. Quantitative descriptive sensory analysis showed that raw castrate loins displayed more marbling than raw sow loins; after cooking, however, both were similar in appearance. Aroma and taste properties were also similar after roasting, although there were sex-related differences in terms of texture. The panelist preferred the most heavily marbled loins.3 Corresponding