Physical and Chemical Lipid Determinations in Barrow and Gilt Carcasses

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Abstract
This study indicates that sex has an effect upon the quantitative fat deposition pattern in pork carcasses. Carcasses from gilts had significantly less inter- and intramuscular fat at the sites studied than did their paired litter-mate barrows. There were also wide differences in correlations between sexes for the subjectively scored fat depots and the objectively determined measurements. Results of this study suggest that the use of overflow-feathering score for estimating marbling in pork carcasses is of little value. The marbling score of the diaphragm or lumbar muscles appears to provide the most valid estimate of intramuscular fat in the longissimus dorsi muscle for both sexes. Carcass weight was not significantly correlated with either the inter- or intramuscular fat depots. However, carcass weight accounted for about 42% of the variation in the back-fat thickness of barrow carcasses. Copyright © 1964. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1964 by American Society of Animal Science