Abstract
Four separate trials involving a total of 612 pigs were conducted to evaluate the potential of the EMME, an electronic device for measuring lean content of the live pig. Equipment malfunctions compromised results in the first two trials. On correction of this malfunction, the equipment functioned well for a third trial predicting approximately 60% of the total variance observed in the proportion of lean in the carcass. EMME alone was superior to the back fat probe for predicting lean content of the live animal. A regression equation combining average EMME value and average backfat probe accounted for more than 75% of the total variance observed in percentage fat and percentage lean of the carcass. In the fourth and final trial, die repeatability of consecutive EMME readings was equivalent to that observed in the third trial but correlations with carcass composition traits were substantially lower. Copyright © 1979. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1979 by American Society of Animal Science.