Effects of genetic factors on pork quality

Abstract

Today the annual consumption of pork in Yugoslavia amounts to approximately 34 kg per capita. This corresponds to about half of the total meat consumption from ail slaughtered animals (beef, sheep, poultry, horse, deer, fish). However, the consumption of meat is comparably low. The maximum pork consumption was achieved in 1990. Since then, an almost linear decline in both pork and beef consumption had been observed. However, there are some indications that the negative trend will stop and that a recovery can be expected. Furthermore, the consumers in the developed countries have ever-increasing demands for meat of higher quality. Consequently, the concept of meat quality is developed and it includes technological, edible and nutritional quality. Heritability of meat quality traits was low to moderate. Water holding capacity (0.12) and drip loss (0.15) were only slightly heritable, whereas heritability of pH, and pH24 was somewhat higher (0.19-0.22). Reflectance and color of meat appear to be moderately heritable traits (0.26-0.34). Intramuscular fat content is a highly heritable trait (0.52). In addition to investigations performed on the degree of meat quality heritability, many studies on major genes have been recently carried out as major genes can play an important role in the meat quality improvement.

Pored potreba za određivanjem količine i međusobnog odnosa mišićnog i masnog tkiva, danas se sve vise ističe zahtev za dobijanje što preciznijih podataka o kvalitetu mesa. Najvažnija kvalitativna svojstva mogu se svrstati u tri grupe pokazatelja kvaliteta mesa, i to: tehnološka, organoleptička i nutritivna. Pokazatelji kvaliteta, kao što su sposobnost zadržavanja, odnosno otpuštanja vode imaju nizak koeficijent naslednosti (0,12, odnosno 0,15). Nešto viši stepen naslednosti utvrđen je kod pH vrednosti (0,19, odnosno 0,22). Srednje vrednosti heritabilnosti ustanovljene su za refleksiju svetlosti i boju mesa (0,26, odnosno 0,34), a visoka za sadržaj intramuskularne masti (0,52). Pored stepena naslednosti, tokom poslednjih godina najviše istraživača je radilo na otkrivanju major gena, kao što su halotan gen, RN gen, gen za sadržaj intramuskularne masti, major gen za nivo androstenona u mesu i gen odgovoran za strukturu odnosno tipove mišićnih vlakana.