A new simple method for estimating the pork carcass mass of primal cuts and lean meat content of the carcass

Abstract

The aim of this study was to develop regression equations for estimating lean meat content and the mass of primal cuts (ham, loin, shoulder, belly) based on selected linear measurements. The experiment involved a classification of 141 pigs from the Polish commercial pig population, with hot carcass weight ranging between 60 and 120 kg. The study population was characterised by high variability in terms of analysed measurements. Eight measurements were made including: mass of half-carcass, backfat thickness at different points (over shoulder, over last rib, over the middle of M. gluteus medius), width and thickness of the M. longissimus dorsi measured over the last rib, thickness of the lumbar and the gluteal muscle layer located between the spinal cord and beginning of the M. gluteus medius and waist width – the width of the carcass measured at the narrowest point of the lumbar. A subjective five-point scale was used to score difficulties in obtaining linear measurements (workload rate). The lean meat percentage and mass of cuts were determined by dissection. The study enabled equations to be devised for estimating lean meat content with an accuracy greater than most devices used for carcass classification (estimation error 1.67). Regression coefficients for the mass of primal cuts were: 0.92 for ham, 0.87 for loin, 0.87 for shoulder, and 0.74 for belly. The error of equations used to estimate the mass of primal cuts were: 391 g for ham, 447 g for loin, 263 g for shoulder and 257 g for belly. The workload rate for all the developed regression equations ranged from 1.3 to 1.6 points. The outcome of this study was the development of equations to predict carcass value without the need to use expensive classification equipment.

The relationship of pork carcass weight and leanness parameters in the Ontario commercial pork industry

“…Head-on hot carcass weight, fat depth, and muscle depth were similar to values reported in recent studies conducted in Canada ( Miar et al, 2014 ; Zhang et al, 2016 ). Likewise, hot carcass weight (compared between head-on hot carcass weight and head-off hot carcass weight), fat depth, and muscle depth were similar in value with the values reported in recent studies conducted in Europe ( Lisiak et al, 2015 ; Knecht et al, 2016 ) and the United States ( Wilson et al, 2016 ; Arkfeld et al, 2017 ). For example, Wilson et al (2016) reported population statistics for 1,235 commercial pigs in the United States as: 103.6 kg for head-off hot carcass weight, 22 mm for fat depth, and 67 mm for muscle depth.…”

Application of AutoFom III equipment for prediction of primal and commercial cut weight of Korean pig carcasses

“…Lisiak et al [ 17 ] reported, that the regression coefficients for prediction of weight of untrimmed primal cuts (ham, loin, shoulder, belly) were 0.92, 0.87, 0.87, and 0.74, respectively using the Capteur Gras/Maigre (CGM, SYDEL, Lorient, France) equipment in polish commercial pigs.…”

Accuracy of estimating the technological and economic value of pig carcass primal cuts with an optical-needle device

“…The LMC of carcasses estimated by devices with one or two measurements does not give much information about primal cuts. Our earlier study (Lisiak et al 2015) presented the fact that for the best prediction of mass of primal cuts, different measurements are necessary. This would lead to a more accurate determination than only LMC of the individual cuts.…”

“…Only the automatic AutoFom device, which records a fullbody ultrasound scan, allows for the highly accurate determination of the musculature of all cuts. Accordingly, the demands of the contemporary pork market force increasingly accurate classification and segregation of raw product (Brorsen et al 1998;Lisiak et al 2015;McGlone 2013).…”