J. H. Weniger

Observations of the Apparent Antagonism between Meat Producing Capacity and Meat Quality in Pigs

It is a well-known fact that in meat production, especially pork production, negative associations exist between meat producing capacity or muscularity on the one hand and the traits of meat quality on the other. This relationship manifests itself in different ways. Negative correlations have been observed between muscularity and meat quality in many investigations, and during the course of the selection for higher muscularity one can notice the deterioration of meat quality. This process can be traced back even to the last century (1,2). The increasing frequency of pale, soft, exudative (PSE) muscle is not limited to certain climatic regions nor continents but pertains, as far as is known, to all populations of domestic pigs. It is more pronounced the higher the meat productive capacity.