Characteristics of carcass and tissues in pigs of Turopolje breed and crossbreds TCSL

Some carcass traits and muscle fiber characteristics of m. Longissimus dorsi (MLD) in pigs of Turopolje breed (T) and crossbreds TCSL were analyzed. The hogs T (n = 19, 568 ± 20 days) and TCSL (n = 10, 575 ± 27 days) were progenies of the same boar, T3HB, and sows of Turopolje breed and crossbred CSL (♂C Hypor line × ♀SL, Swedish Landrace). All pigs were reared and fattened in the outdoor system, according to traditional Croatian technology of low input. Live (LW) and carcass weight (CW) and some carcass traits and chemical composition of muscle and fat tissues were analyzed. In the carcass, the lean percentage (L%) was calculated on the basis of back fat thickness (BF) and MLD thickness, according to “two point” method (CRO, Regulation, NN 85/05). The samples of MLD from the left side at the 13/14 th rib level were taken after slaughtering (5 min.) and frozen in liquid nitrogen until histo-morphological analysis (diameter of slow twitch oxidative, SO; fast twitch glycolytic, FG; and fast twitch oxidative, FOG fiber types). After chilling carcass (24 h, at + 4 oC), the samples of MLD and the belonging back fat were taken from the same place for analysis of chemical composition (water W, protein P, lipid L, ash A). According to the estimated results the pigs of Turopolje breed and TCSL significantly differed as follows: LW (95.31 and 117.10 kg), CW (77.11 and 97.50 kg), BF (31.68 and 28.00 mm), MLD dept (50.16 and 60.10 mm), L (45.25 and 47.69%), SO (33.69 and 44.24 µm), and FG (38.48 and 47.60 µm). The chemical content of muscle and fat tissues was not significantly different between investigated pigs.