COMPARISON OF SOME COMPONENTS OF PIGS KEPT IN NATURAL (FREE-RANGE) AND LARGE-SCALE CONDITIONS

A new pig genotype of Hungarian Large White (75%) x Mangalica (pig wit h curly bristles, 25%) was used in the experiments. The experimental g roup was kept in a farming system under strictly natural circumstances until a body weight of 120 kg was attained. Neither antibiotics nor y ield-increasing hormones were given to this group. The control group w as kept in the usual large-scale farming conditions until body weight of 120 kg was attained. In most cases, protein, zinc, and copper level s and, in some cases, iron levels were significantly higher in some ma jor cuts (neck-end (Boston-butt), loin, ham) of the 'free-range' pigs (n = 12) in comparison with the control animals kept in large-scale fa rming conditions. There was, on average, 15% less cholesterol in the m uscles and 30% less cholesterol in the liver and less linoleic acid in all tissues of 'free-range' pigs than in the control group. There was less fat, but the amount of thiamin and riboflavin in the liver of th e naturally kept pigs was twice that in the controls. In respect of TB A-reactive compounds, there were no significant differences between th e two groups, but superoxide dismutase (SOD) showed significantly high er activities in all cuts from pigs kept in a large-scale farming syst em. This may be the effect of a higher level of linoleic acid in the f at.