THE EFFECTS OF RACTOPAMINE TREATMENT AND GENDER ON CHEMICAL-COMPONENTS OF BACON AND HAM

Cured and smoked ham and bacon from 20 pigs equally divided between ge nders (barrows and gilts) and dietary treatments (0 and 20 ppm ractopa mine) were chemically analyzed for specific components (fat, Na, K, Cl and NO2). Cuts from gilts had higher contents of K and NO2 (P < 0.05) , while cuts from barrows exhibited higher contents of Na and Cl (P < 0.05). Cuts from ractopamine-treated pigs had higher contents of Na, C l, K and NO2 (P < 0.05). However, the observed differences in chemical composition between barrows and gilts and between control and ractopa mine treatments may be attributable to differences in fat content. Com posite results illustrate the chemical composition of ham and bacon fr om barrows and gilts and confirm the effect of dietary ractopamine in reducing carcass lipids.