Carcass Composition and Meat Quality of Crna Slavonska Pigs from Two Different Housing Conditions

Th e aim of the study was to compare carcass composition and meat quality of pigs held in two housing systems suitable for production of Crna slavonska pigs. The experiment was conducted on 104 Crna Slavonska pigs (equal number of barrows and gilts) from two housing systems, outdoor (n=56) and indoor (deep bedding, n=48). The pigs in the outdoor group were reared until 18 months of age, and pigs in deep bedding group were raised until 15 months of age. After reaching the final age, the pigs were sacrificed and following carcass and meat quality traits were determined at the slaughter house and in laboratory: backfat and muscle thickness, length of the carcass from os pubis to atlas and from os pubis to 1st rib, ham length and circumference, loin eye area and fat area of longissimus lumborum muscle, pH values, water holding capacity and drip loss, colour reflectance scores (CIE L* a* b*) and instrumental tenderness. The carcasses of the pigs raised outdoors had lower backfat thickness, higher muscle  thickness and lower fat area than pigs raised on deep bedding. Their carcasses were longer with longer hams. However, their ham circumference, as well as the loin eye area was lower than in pigs raised on deep bedding indicating higher production of muscle tissue in the latter. Out of investigated meat quality traits, the pigs raised outdoor had lower pH24 values measured in logissimus lumborum muscle and in semimembranosus muscle, higher drip loss and water holding capacity, higher cooking loss and  yellowness (CIE b*).