Carcass and Meat Quality Characteristics and Changes of Lean and Fat Pigs After the Growth Turning Point
Pork is a major global source of animal protein, and improving both its production efficiency and meat quality is a central goal in modern animal agriculture and food systems. This study investigated post-inflection-point growth patterns in two genetically distinct pig breeds—the lean-type Yorkshire...
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MDPI AG
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Foods |
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| author | Tianci Liao Mailin Gan Yan Zhu Yuhang Lei Yiting Yang Qianli Zheng Lili Niu Ye Zhao Lei Chen Yuanyuan Wu Lixin Zhou Jia Xue Xiaofeng Zhou Yan Wang Linyuan Shen Li Zhu |
| author_facet | Tianci Liao Mailin Gan Yan Zhu Yuhang Lei Yiting Yang Qianli Zheng Lili Niu Ye Zhao Lei Chen Yuanyuan Wu Lixin Zhou Jia Xue Xiaofeng Zhou Yan Wang Linyuan Shen Li Zhu |
| author_sort | Tianci Liao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Pork is a major global source of animal protein, and improving both its production efficiency and meat quality is a central goal in modern animal agriculture and food systems. This study investigated post-inflection-point growth patterns in two genetically distinct pig breeds—the lean-type Yorkshire pig (YP) and the fatty-type Qingyu pig (QYP)—with the aim of elucidating breed-specific characteristics that influence pork quality and yield. Comprehensive evaluations of carcass traits, meat quality attributes, nutritional composition, and gene expression profiles were conducted. After the growth inflection point, carcass traits exhibited greater variability than meat quality traits in both breeds, though with distinct patterns. YPs displayed superior muscle development, with the longissimus muscle area (LMA) increasing rapidly before plateauing at ~130 kg, whereas QYPs maintained more gradual but sustained muscle growth. In contrast, intramuscular fat (IMF)—a key determinant of meat flavor and texture—accumulated faster in YPs post inflection but plateaued earlier in QYPs. Correlation and clustering analyses revealed more synchronized regulation of meat quality traits in QYPs, while YPs showed greater trait variability. Gene expression patterns aligned with these phenotypic trends, highlighting distinct regulatory mechanisms for muscle and fat development in each breed. In addition, based on the growth curves, we calculated the peak age at which the growth rate declined in lean-type and fat-type pigs, which was approximately 200 days for YPs and around 270 days for QYPs. This suggests that these ages may represent the optimal slaughter times for the respective breeds, balancing both economic efficiency and meat quality. These findings provide valuable insights for enhancing pork quality through precision management and offer theoretical guidance for developing breed-specific feeding strategies, slaughter timing, and value-added pork production tailored to consumer preferences in the modern food market. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-48acb3726cd543a8820e7cb63eec4cff |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj-art-48acb3726cd543a8820e7cb63eec4cff2025-08-20T03:36:31ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582025-08-011415271910.3390/foods14152719Carcass and Meat Quality Characteristics and Changes of Lean and Fat Pigs After the Growth Turning PointTianci Liao0Mailin Gan1Yan Zhu2Yuhang Lei3Yiting Yang4Qianli Zheng5Lili Niu6Ye Zhao7Lei Chen8Yuanyuan Wu9Lixin Zhou10Jia Xue11Xiaofeng Zhou12Yan Wang13Linyuan Shen14Li Zhu15Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaDepartment of Biological Engineering, Sichuan Fisheries School, Chengdu 610041, ChinaChengdu Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, Chengdu 610065, ChinaChengdu Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, Chengdu 610065, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaFarm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, ChinaPork is a major global source of animal protein, and improving both its production efficiency and meat quality is a central goal in modern animal agriculture and food systems. This study investigated post-inflection-point growth patterns in two genetically distinct pig breeds—the lean-type Yorkshire pig (YP) and the fatty-type Qingyu pig (QYP)—with the aim of elucidating breed-specific characteristics that influence pork quality and yield. Comprehensive evaluations of carcass traits, meat quality attributes, nutritional composition, and gene expression profiles were conducted. After the growth inflection point, carcass traits exhibited greater variability than meat quality traits in both breeds, though with distinct patterns. YPs displayed superior muscle development, with the longissimus muscle area (LMA) increasing rapidly before plateauing at ~130 kg, whereas QYPs maintained more gradual but sustained muscle growth. In contrast, intramuscular fat (IMF)—a key determinant of meat flavor and texture—accumulated faster in YPs post inflection but plateaued earlier in QYPs. Correlation and clustering analyses revealed more synchronized regulation of meat quality traits in QYPs, while YPs showed greater trait variability. Gene expression patterns aligned with these phenotypic trends, highlighting distinct regulatory mechanisms for muscle and fat development in each breed. In addition, based on the growth curves, we calculated the peak age at which the growth rate declined in lean-type and fat-type pigs, which was approximately 200 days for YPs and around 270 days for QYPs. This suggests that these ages may represent the optimal slaughter times for the respective breeds, balancing both economic efficiency and meat quality. These findings provide valuable insights for enhancing pork quality through precision management and offer theoretical guidance for developing breed-specific feeding strategies, slaughter timing, and value-added pork production tailored to consumer preferences in the modern food market.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/15/2719porkcarcass traitsmeat qualitygrowth turning point |
| spellingShingle | Tianci Liao Mailin Gan Yan Zhu Yuhang Lei Yiting Yang Qianli Zheng Lili Niu Ye Zhao Lei Chen Yuanyuan Wu Lixin Zhou Jia Xue Xiaofeng Zhou Yan Wang Linyuan Shen Li Zhu Carcass and Meat Quality Characteristics and Changes of Lean and Fat Pigs After the Growth Turning Point Foods pork carcass traits meat quality growth turning point |
| title | Carcass and Meat Quality Characteristics and Changes of Lean and Fat Pigs After the Growth Turning Point |
| title_full | Carcass and Meat Quality Characteristics and Changes of Lean and Fat Pigs After the Growth Turning Point |
| title_fullStr | Carcass and Meat Quality Characteristics and Changes of Lean and Fat Pigs After the Growth Turning Point |
| title_full_unstemmed | Carcass and Meat Quality Characteristics and Changes of Lean and Fat Pigs After the Growth Turning Point |
| title_short | Carcass and Meat Quality Characteristics and Changes of Lean and Fat Pigs After the Growth Turning Point |
| title_sort | carcass and meat quality characteristics and changes of lean and fat pigs after the growth turning point |
| topic | pork carcass traits meat quality growth turning point |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/15/2719 |
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