PH(1) VALUES OF MEAT OF HYBRID PIGS WITH HETEROZYGOUS GENOTYPES OF HAL LOCUS

Locus HAL genotypes were determined in the parental generation of boar s and sows by DNA-test. The boars and sows came from the elite stock o f the breeds Landrace (L) and Large White (LW). In their castrated off spring (barrows) tested at a pig progeny testing station meat quality was established on the basis of pH(1) value determined 45 minutes afte r slaughter, at the weight of 91 to 108 kg and at the age of 150 to 20 0 days. pH(1) values were measured on the right side of pork, behind t he last rib in the musculus longissimus lumborum et thoracis with a st ab electrode. Locus HAL genotype was also determined in all offspring. Among these individuals, 20 hybrid pigs of two types of reciprocal cr ossing of maternal and paternal breeds L x LW and LW x L with heterozy gous genotypes were chosen. The first group (n = 10) comprised the off spring after seven sows of L breed and one boar of LW breed. The secon d group (It = 10) involved the offspring after five sows of LW breed a nd one boar of L breed. pH(1) values were assessed for the whole set o n the basis of the limit value pH(1) > 6.00 for normal meat and pH(1) less than or equal to 6.00 for PSE meat. The acquired data were also p rocessed using the limit value for PSE meat pH(1) less than or equal t o 5.80 and pH(1) less than or equal to 5.60. A similar method was used to analyze the pH(1) values in both sets of reciprocal crossing (L x LW and LW x L). Meat quality was evaluated on the basis of various lim its of pH(1) for the whole set of hybrid pigs with heterozygous genoty pes of HAL locus (Tab. I). First, the limit values pH(1) less than or equal to 6.00 were used to discriminate PSE meat and normal meat. The set of 20 pigs of both types of hybrids of reciprocal crossing of the breeds L x LW and LW x L comprised 45% of animals with normal meat and 55% of pigs with PSE meat. Further evaluation worked with the limit v alue pH(1) less than or equal to 5.80. The percentage shifted to 60% p igs with normal meat and 40% pigs with PSE meat. For the last evaluati on of the whole set, pH(1) less than or equal to 5.60 was used as the limit value. The share of individuals with normal meat increased to 75 % while the remaining 25% had PSE meat. The crossbreds L x LW showed t he percentages of 40% and 60% animals with normal and PSE meat, respec tively, at pH(1) less than or equal to 6.00 (Tab. II). The percentages for the limit value pH(1) less than or equal to 5.80 were identical. At the value pH(1) less than or equal to 5.60, the shares of pigs shif ted to 60% of animals with normal meat and 40% with PSE meat. The cros sbreds of the breeds LW x L showed different percentages of animals wi th normal meat and PSE meat for the same limit values (Tab. III), i.e. 50% and 50%, 80% and 20%, 90% and 10%, respectively.