ANTEMORTEM HANDLING EFFECTS ON THE BEHAVIOR, CARCASS YIELD AND MEAT QUALITY OF MARKET WEIGHT ENTIRE MALE PIGS

The effect of antemortem handling on behaviour, carcass yield and lean meat quality was determined on Lacombe and Yorkshire entire male pigs mixed within breed 24 h prior to slaughter and on entire males and gi lts that were not mixed. In the period immediately after repenning (mi xing), 40% of all recorded pen activity was observed, while 17% and 10 % of the pen activities were recorded at 6 and 12 h after repenning. D uring the period immediately after transport to the abattoir, 33% of a ll pen activities were observed. Mixed pigs accounted for 78% of all a ctivity. Yorkshire male pigs were three times as active as Lacombe mal e pigs during shipping. Thirty-six percent and 14% of the mixed Yorksh ire and Lacombe male pigs had moderate skin blemishes, compared with 1 2% for unmixed Yorkshire male pigs. Moderate skin blemishes were absen t in the unmixed Lacombe male and all female pigs. Dressing percentage and carcass shrinkage were unaffected by mixing during shipping. Dres sing percentage was 23 g kg higher in female than in male pigs, while male pigs had 20 g kg(-1) greater lean than female pigs. Ultimate pH ( 48 h) was similar among unmixed pigs (5.53), but higher in mixed Lacom be (5.61) and Yorkshire (5.74) entire male pigs. Based on subjective m eat quality evaluation, firm and dry pork was observed in 11% and 43% of the mixed Lacombe and Yorkshire male pigs, but was absent in unmixe d male pigs. However, no consistent objective meat quality differences between unmixed male and female pigs were observed. Unmixed entire ma le pigs had superior carcass composition characteristics, with lean me at quality attributes at least equivalent to those of female pigs (e.g . pH, drip loss, CIE L, hue angle). Mixing entire male pigs prior to slaughter had marginal but significant effects on carcass blemish scor es and meat quality, particularly among Yorkshire pigs. This study sug gests entire males, with appropriate antemortem handling, can produce superior carcasses, more efficiently and with pork quality at least eq uivalent to that of female pigs.