Effect of Sexual Condition and Slaughter Weight on Pig Carcass Characteristics and Meat Quality.

In Venezuela, the pig production systems is not common to market carcasses coming from pigs in spite of its multiple advantages. This is due to the concerns arisen by the detection of sensory defect called boar taint in an undetermined percentage of carcasses. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of sexual condition (non-castrated or boars and castrated males) and different weights at slaughter (83.8 +/- 6.3, 95 +/- 5.0 and 106 +/- 6) on carcass characteristics and meat quality. In order to persue this objective 84 crossbred pigs [Dalland Tempo (B80) X F1 Yorkshire x Landrace], including 42 boars and 42 castrated males were used. Non-castrated male pigs had lower backfat than castrated ones (P<0.01). The loin eye area of boars was 12.86% greater of that of castrated males (P<0.01). Boars had a lower drip loss at 24h and a higher cooking loss and shear force than castrated males (P<0.01). The sensorial analysis showed that consumers were not capable of detecting the boar taint defect, which is a main disadvantage of the use of boar meat in the weight range evaluated in the present study. The use of boars is a good alternative for pig producers due to better carcass characteristics compared to castrated males, without detriment of its meat quality.