Breeding for higher meatiness in swine can be justified only if premiums are paid according to meatiness. Using methods of predicting carcass meatiness at slaughter, it is difficult to obtain high precision of meatiness prediction which involves measurements at one or two locations. It is economically justified to try to achieve as high as possible precision of meatiness prediction. In order to verify accuracy of estimation of carcass meat percentage, meatiness was determined by measuring fat thickness and depth of muscle at one location or at two location while applying dissection method. Carcass meat percentage evaluated by measuring with both ultrasonic equipment at one point and dissection method on 19 finishing pigs with bodyweight of 111.39 kg was 49.20 and 52.45%, respectively. In 28 finishing pigs with body weight of 100.88 kg measured meat percentage in carcass using the method of 2 locations and the dissection method was 52.16 and 57.49 %, respectively. The differences in % meat are significant (P

carcass meatiness; dissection; pig; predicting meatiness

Published by University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagreb, CROATIA
Sponsored by Ministry Science and Education of the Republic of Croatia