CARCASS COMPOSITION OF YORKSHIRE BARROWS AND GILTS SLAUGHTERED BETWEEN 85 and 112 KG BODY WEIGHT

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Abstract
Thirty-two Yorkshire pigs, 16 barrows and 16 gilts, were slaughtered at four weights (85, 92, 103 and 112 kg) to determine the effect of body weight at slaughter on the physical and chemical composition of the carcass. The right side was dissected into meat (including intra- and intermuscular fat), separable fat and bone which were subsequently analyzed for moisture, protein (N × 6.25), ether extract and ash. Sex did not influence (P < 0.05) carcass composition at any of the four slaughter weights. Increasing slaughter weight did not markedly alter the meat percentage of the carcass side but decreased the percentage of bone (P < 0.01). A trend toward an increasing percentage of separable fat was confirmed by the use of the allometric function Y = aXb. The effect of slaughter weight was more pronounced on the chemical than on the physical composition of the carcass side especially with respect to protein percentage. The chemical compositions of the meat, separable fat and bone were also determined. The protein percentage of each of the three physically separable components of the carcass side decreased (P < 0.01) with increasing slaughter weight. The partitioning of the chemically determined components among meat, separable fat and bone was not influenced by sex or by slaughter weight. Key words: Carcass composition, swine, sex, slaughter weight
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