Comparison between NN and Nn pigs for fattening traits, carcass composition, meat quality and the ability to produce cooked ham

A large scale experiment was conducted to study the effects of the Hal gene, and its possible interaction with sex, on various production traits, including traits related to ham processing (cooking and slicing yields).More than 1000 piglets were obtained from Pietrain x Large White boars and Large White x Landrace sows, and their genotype at the Hal locus was measured using a DNA test (580 pigs NN and 515 Nn). The pigs were fed ad libitum, slaughtered at approximately 100 kg, and their hams were cooked and sliced.Growth rate was not affected by genotype. However, Nn pigs used feed more efficiently (daily feed intake: -80g/day; feed conversion : -0.1 kg/kg) than NN pigs.Carcass yield was higher for Nn pigs (+0.4%) and they were leaner (+1.1% lean meat) than NN pigs.The rate of decrease in pH of Nn pigs was faster than for NN pigs (Nn-NN=-0.1), whereas ultimate pH values were the same.Hams of Nn pigs were heavier and had a better trimming yield (+216g and +1.54%) than NN pigs. Conversely, the meat of Nn hams was more frequently affected by structure defects (3.6% vs. 0.3%) resulting in slightly higher slicing losses (7.6% vs. 4.9%).No genotype x sexe interaction was found in this study.