Factors of significance, for pork quality - a review

This paper reviews current knowledge about factors of importance for pork quality with special emphasis on technological quality attributes. It is evident-that production and slaughter factors can be used to control technological quality traits. However, most of the present knowledge is based on studies investigating the influence of a single or at the most two factors. This survey reveals that: Most important, an understanding of how production and slaughter factors interact in relation to pork quality is a must to give the maximum number of tools to control pork quality and hereby meat quality demands of tomorrow. The existence of a new genetic pool (elimination of the halothane and RN- genes in the commercial pig populations of tomorrow) force the meat science into a renaissance, as the influence of production and slaughter factors on pork quality may be fundamentally different in this new genetic pool. A basic understanding on how muscle glycogen stores are influenced by genotype and feeding regime and the interaction with pre-slaughter handling might be the next major breakthrough in controlling technological pork quality. Introduction of new production systems claim parallel studies to prevent unforseen negative effect on quality. A holistic approach is needed-to give an overall understanding of the influence of production, peri and post mortem factors on pork quality. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.