Pig carcasses have become progressively leaner over the last 10 years, a necessary trend to satisfy consumer requirements for lean meat. However, this trend has not always been welcomed by the meat trade. For instance, the headline “No to Further Fat Reduction” appeared in the Meat Trades Journal of September 2, 1982. Concern has been expressed over lack of eating quality in very lean pork and certain aspects of lean carcasses as follows:

— soft, floppy backfat

— carcasses do not set after chilling, making cutting or slicing difficult

— separation occurs between backfat layers, between backfat and muscle and between intermuscular fat and muscle.