Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T19:39:42.476Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Bacon yield from fasted pigs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

P. D. Warriss  and
N. F. Down
P. D. Warriss
Affiliation:
AFRC Meat Research Institute, Langford, Bristol BS18 7DY
N. F. Down
Affiliation:
AFRC Meat Research Institute, Langford, Bristol BS18 7DY
Get access

Abstract

Commercial crossbred pigs weighing about 80 kg and comprising equal numbers of females (gilts) and castrated males (castrates) were killed at a bacon factory 4 h (controls), 24 h or 48 h after food withdrawal. The carcasses from pigs fasted 24 h were on average 1·4 kg lighter, and those from pigs fasted 48 h, 2·9 kg lighter, than those of the control group. Fasting also reduced liver weight by about 0·3 kg but had no significant effect on backfat thickness or mean initial or ultimate pH in the muscles. Carcasses were cured into bacon by the Wiltshire process. Those from pigs fasted longer gained less weight after pumping with brine but also lost less weight during brine immersion and maturation. The overall yield of bacon, in relation to carcass weight, was therefore not affected by fasting. Consequently, the reduced carcass weight in the fasted pigs was carried through almost unchanged to the final yield of matured bacon. This was proportionately reduced by 0·019 in the pigs fasted 24 h and 0·043 in those fasted 48 h when compared with the control group.

There was thus no evidence of any material reduction of yield differences during curing which could be caused by equilibriation of water in the carcass tissues with that in the curing brine. The implication is that losses in carcass weight in fasted pigs cannot be attributed simply to dehydration. Cured sides from fasted pigs tended to have proportionately slightly less weight in the ham and middle and more in the shoulder, and bacon from the pigs fasted 48 h was marginally less salty.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 40 , Issue 1 , February 1985 , pp. 143 - 151
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1985

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Callow, E. H. and Boaz, T. G. 1937. Transport by rail and its after-effects on pigs. A. Rep. Fd Investigation Bd, London, p. 51.Google Scholar
Chadwick, J. P. and Kempster, A. J. 1983. A repeat national survey (ten years on) of muscle pH values in commerical bacon carcasses. Meat Sci. 9: 101–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clarke, J. B. K. 1973. The effect of pre-slaughter influences on quality. Proc. Inst. Fd Sci. Technol., UK 6: 136–144.Google Scholar
Davidson, W. D., Sample, J. G., Cliplee, R. L., Hanson, L. E., Meade, R. J. and AUNAN. W. J. 1968. Effect of antemortem fasting on shrinkage and yields of swine and their carcasses, cuts and products. J. Anim. Sci. 27: 355–359.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellis, M., Smith, W. C., Clark, J. B. K. and Innes, N. 1983. A comparison of boars, gilts and castrates for bacon manufacture. 1. On farm performance, carcass and meat quality characteristics and weight loss in the preparation of sides for curing. Anim. Prod. 37: 1–9.Google Scholar
Fauscii, H. D., Richmond, R. and Anderson, T. A. 1968. Influence of fasting on body composition and tissue cholesterol levels in swine. J. Anim. Sci. 27: 1273–1276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Follett, M. J. and Ratcliefe, P. W. 1963. Determination of nitrite and nitrate in meat products. J. Sci. Fd Agric. 14: 138–144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gallwey, W. J. and Tarrant, P. V. 1978. The effect of curing and maturing of bacon on muscle pH. J. Fd Technol. 13: 145–148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holmes, C. W. and Mount, L. E. 1967. Heat loss from groups of growing pigs under various conditions of environmental temperature and air movement. Anim. Prod. 9: 435–452.Google Scholar
Ingram, M. 1964. Feeding meat animals before slaughter. Vet. Rec. 76: 1305–1310.Google Scholar
Jolley, P. D. 1979. The accumulation of unacceptably high levels of nitrite in vacuum packed bacon. J. Fd Technol. 14: 81–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kauffman, R. G., Wachholz, D., Henderson, D. and Lockner, J. V. 1978. Shrinkage of PSE. normal and DFD hams during transit and processing. J. Anim. Sci. 46: 1236–1240.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kirkwood, J. K. 1983. Influence of body size in animals on health and disease. Vet. Rec. 113: 287–290.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Listlr, D., Gregory, N. G. and Warriss, P. D. 1981. Stress in meat animals. In Developments in Meat Science – 2 (ed. Lawrie, R. A.), pp. 61–92. Applied Science Publishers, Barking.Google Scholar
Moitram, D. S. and Rhodhs, D. M. 1973. Nitrite and flavour of cured meat. I. Proc. Int. Symp. Nitrite Meat Prod., Zeist, pp. 161–170. Pudoc. Wageningen.Google Scholar
Sakflh, R. L. and Cole, J. W. 1960. Fasting effects on dressed yields, shrinkage and pH of contractile tissue in swine. J. Anim. Sci. 19: 242–248.Google Scholar
Smith, W. C. and Lesshr, D. 1982. An economic assessment of pale, soft exudative musculature in the fresh and cured pig carcass. Anim. Prod. 34: 291–299.Google Scholar
Tarrant, P. V., GALLWI:Y, W. J. and MCGLOUGHLIN, PATRICIA. 1979. Carcass pH values in Irish Landrace and Large White pigs. Ir. J. agric. Res. 18: 167–172.Google Scholar
Taylor, A. A., Dani, S. J. and French, J. W. L. 1973. Processing Wiltshire bacon from PSE-prone pigs. J. Fd Techno!. 8: 167–174.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, A. A. and Shaw, B. G. 1975. Wiltshire curing with and without nitrate. I. Vacuum packed sliced back bacon. J. Fd Technol. 10: 157–167.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, A. A., Shaw, B. G., JOLLLY. P. D. and Nun:, G. R. 1982. Hot curing Wiltshire bacon. J. Fd Technol. 17: 339–348.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Warriss, P. D. 1982. Loss of carcass weight, liver weight and liver glycogen, and the effects on muscle glycogen and ultimate pH in pigs fasted pre-slaughter. J. Sci. Fd Agric. 33: 840–846.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Warriss, P. D. and Brown, S. N. 1983. The influence of preslaughter fasting on carcass and liver yield in pigs. Livesl. Prod. Sci. 10: 273–282.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wood, J. D. and Riliy, J. E. 1982. Comparison of boars and castrates for bacon production. 1. Growth data, and carcass and joint composition. Anim. Prod. 35: 55–63.Google Scholar