A summary review of carcass cutability data comparing primal value of immunologically and physically castrated barrows

Abstract

The objectives were to 1) assess cutability, quality, and value of carcasses from immunologically castrated (IC) barrows compared with carcasses from physically castrated (PC) barrows and 2) evaluate the effect of hot carcass weight (HCW) on cutability and value of IC barrows summarizing U.S. data. Lean cutting yield (LCY) was defined as: LCY = [(whole ham + trimmed loin + Boston butt + picnic + spareribs)/chilled side wt] x 100. Carcass cutting yield (CCY) was determined using the following equation: CCY = [(lean cutting yield components + natural fall belly)/chilled side wt] x 100. To evaluate the effects of HCW of IC barrows on carcass cutting yields, IC barrows were grouped by HCW: light ( < 90.9 kg), average (90.9–97.7 kg), or heavy ( > 97.7 kg). Differences in the value of the carcass components for IC and PC barrow carcasses were calculated using a 5 yr average of meat prices from the USDA Agriculture Marketing Service and the carcass cutting yield estimates generated from this summary. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS with fixed effects of Improvest treatment or HCW group. Study was included as a random effect. This review allowed for a summarization of the treatment averages of 851 IC and PC barrow carcasses. Lean cutting yield of IC barrows was 1.41 units greater (P < 0.0001) than PC barrows (70.97 vs. 69.56%). Similarly, CCY of IC barrows was 1.29 units greater (P < 0.001) compared with PC barrows (87.27 vs. 85.98%). As HCW of IC barrows increased, both CCY and LCY declined (P < 0.01), with light IC barrow carcasses having a 1.43 unit advantage in CCY compared with heavy IC barrow carcasses (P < 0.01). Natural fall bellies of PC barrows comprised a greater (P < 0.05) percentage of side weight than those from IC barrows (15.81 vs. 15.50%). A reduction in belly primal value was confirmed by a 3.43 unit reduction in the commercial bacon slicing yields of IC barrows. However, belly yield and slicing yield differences were minimized when IC barrows were marketed at a heavier weight. Using carcass cutout estimates determined in the summary as the foundation for value calculations, lean cuts of IC barrow carcasses were worth $2.66 to $3.80 more than PC barrow carcasses. Therefore, after adjustment for the reduction in belly primal value, the primal value of an IC barrow carcass was $2.08 to $3.13 greater than a PC barrow carcass.

Effect of immunocastration and housing conditions on pig carcass and meat quality traits1

“…But recent investigations indicated lower WHC of EM than SC meat assessed either as drip loss ( Batorek et al, 2012b ; Aluwé et al, 2013 ; Škrlep et al, 2019 ) or cooking loss ( Channon et al, 2016 ; Van den Broeke et al, 2016 ; Škrlep et al 2019 ). Lower WHC assessed as drip loss was also reported for IC compared to both EM ( Batorek et al, 2012a ) and SC ( Lowe et al, 2014 ; Harsh et al, 2017 ; Seiquer et al, 2019 ). In accordance with the present investigation, several studies demonstrated higher cooking loss in IC than SC ( Boler et al, 2012 ) while being similar to EM ( Batorek et al, 2012b ; Van den Broeke et al, 2016 ), whereas some data ( Aluwé et al, 2013 ; Akit et al, 2014 ) show even higher cooking loss of IC than EM.…”

Evaluation of alternative fabrication specifications to increase gross value of pork carcasses

“…Primal and retail cut weights were multiplied by the associated price, then converted to value per kg. Best-, worst-, and 4-year (2013–2017) average pricing scenarios were calculated similar to the manner described by Harsh et al (2017) . The best (2014) scenario was determined when average pork carcass prices were the most elevated.…”

The effects of dietary net energy on grow-finish performance and carcass characteristics of male market pigs managed with immunological castration (Improvest)

“…Improvest (marketed under the trade name of Improvac, Innosure, or Vivax in some parts of the world; Zoetis Inc., Parsippany, NJ, USA) is a gonadotropin-releasing factor (GnRF) analog-diphtheria toxoid conjugate formulated product approved for the temporary suppression of testicular function and reduction of boar taint in intact male pigs intended for slaughter. Managing male pigs with Improvest has several secondary production advantages when compared with physically castrated (PC) male pigs, including 1 to 2 percentage unit improvement in preweaning livability, the management of ridgling pigs, 4% to 6% less feed consumption during the grow-finish period, 4% to 8% improvement in weight gain during the grow-finish period, 8% to 12% improvement in feed efficiency during the grow-finish period, and 1.0% to 1.5% unit improvement in cutting yields of merchandized meat cuts ( Čandek-Potokar et al, 2017 ; Harsh et al, 2017 ; Needham et al, 2017 ; Poulsen Nautrup et al, 2018 ). Nutritional recommendations for male pigs managed with Improvest differ from those of PC males, which is attributed to differences in feed consumption and lean growth ( Dunshea et al, 2013 ; Rueff et al, 2019 ).…”