Carcass Characteristics and Primal Pork Cuts of Gilts, Boars, Immunocastrates and Barrows Using AutoFOM III Data of a Commercial Abattoir

Abstract

The surgical castration of male piglets as a routine procedure in modern pig production is facing increasing societal criticism. Pork production with boars and immunocastrates are available alternatives, but both have low market shares as it is so far uncertain how the carcass characteristics and primal pork cuts of boars and immunocastrates will be estimated in comparison to barrows and gilts. This article therefore evaluates the impact of sex group (gilts, boars, immunocastrates and barrows) on carcass characteristics and primal pork cuts using AutoFOM III data from a commercial abattoir. In our study, weekly slaughter data from a total of n = 36,994 pigs between 2018 and 2019 were analyzed. The results show that gilts had the highest amount of pork per carcass of all sex groups, whereas non-significant differences between boars, immunocastrates and barrows could be observed. Boars had the highest lean meat content, followed by gilts, immunocastrates and finally barrows with the lowest lean meat content. These results suggest that both immunocastration and pork production with boars are sustainable techniques that can replace pork production with barrows without affecting carcass quality.

Comparison of pork belly characteristics and weights of primal cuts between gilt and barrow of LYD pigs measured by AutoFomIII

“…A similar trend was found for the percentage of pigs slaughtered in 2019 based on the data released by the Livestock Products Quality Assessment Service in 2019 [1]. These results were also similar to results of Kevin et al (2020) [35], where S, the highest grade of gilts, showed a higher ratio than that of barrows. Although pig carcass grade used in Europe differs from that in Korea in terms of meat production, the high proportion of the highest grade in gilts cannot be ignored.…”

“…(2020) [35], gilts showed no significant difference value compared to barrows(p < 0.0001). Such differences in results between the study of Kevin et al (2020) [35] and the present study might be due to different breed of pigs used in the experiment. From results…”

“…In the study of Kevin at el. (2020) [35], gilts showed significantly higher values of areas such as ham and shoulder than barrows. In addition, similar results were found…”

Correlation between the Korean pork grade system and the amount of pork primal cut estimated with AutoFom III

“…There are several no-destructive techniques for analyzing pig carcasses worldwide, including dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry [4], magnetic resonance imaging [5], computed tomography [6], infrared reflectance spectroscopy [7], and ultrasound imaging [8]. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, magnetic resonance imaging, and computed tomography are more accurate than ultrasound imaging [9].…”

“…Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, magnetic resonance imaging, and computed tomography are more accurate than ultrasound imaging [9]. However, ultrasound imaging has advantages of being applicable to any carcass size with a reasonable price, no radiation, and real time measurement [8,9]. These techniques are important for performance testing, grading, and final selection or payment of meat-producing animals.…”