The Effect of Genotype on Fat Deposition and Carcass Quality

Purdue University 1997 Swine Research Report. Carcass-value marketing systems continue to demand the efficient production of lean pork. Unfortunately, some swine genotypes which provide a high percentage of carcass lean also tend to produce carcasses which are poor in overall quality. An increased incidence of soft carcass fat, which is seen in some lean genotypes, has been associated with mechanized processing difficulties and decreased consumer acceptability. In this study, three genotypes were evaluated for both leanness and overall carcass quality. While similar in total backfat, lean genotypes can be dramatically different in backfat quality, belly quality and overall carcass quality.