MEAT QUALITY EVOLUTION OF BLACK PIGS IN DIFFERENT AGES

Due to a lack of information, studies must be done on the productive aspects of black pig from Basilicata, in relation with different factors of variability. In order to study the effect of slaughtering age on meat quality of these pigs, 12 swine were reared indoors and fed the same way. Four were slaughtered at 9 months, four at 12 and four at 15 months of age. From the carcass of every subject was taken a sample of L.D. which has been submitted to physical and chemical characterization, determined according to ASPA official methodologies (1996). The data were analysed for variance (ANOVA) by using the GLM procedure of SAS (2000). The results show that the raw meat of 15 months of age subjects, apart from having a higher pH (5.58 us 5.14 and 5.16 respectively for 15, 12 and 9 months pigs; P<0,01), are definitely (P<0.01 and P<0.05) redder (7.11 us 5.35 and 3.03 respectively for 15,12 and 9 months pigs) and softer (2.27 us 3.30 respectively for 15 and 9 months pigs); while, the cooked meat of the subjects of 12 months of age are the softest (2.22 us 3.38 respectively for 12 and 9; P<0.01). Moreover, the raw meat of these last is less fatty (1.43% us 1.80% and 2.92% respectively for 12,9 and 15; P<0.01). As far as concern the raw fatty acids, pigs of 9 months register the highest values of SFA (39.78% us 36.37% respectively for 9 and 15 months pigs; P<0.05), the lowest (P<0.05) values of UFA (58.83% us 61.83% respectively for 9 and 15) and MUFA (47.22% us 50.90% respectively for 9 and 12) and consequently the highest value of the ratio co6/co3 (8.98 us 6.77 respectively for 9 and 15; P<0.01). The same trend is verified in the cooked meat, even if without statistical significance, except for the ratio co6/co3 (9.35 us 7.22 respectively for 9 and 12; P<0.05). From the extracted results, we deduced that the best productions were obtained from the 12 months of age swine.