Effect of slaughter weight on carcass characteristics, meat quality, and lipidomics profiling in longissimus thoracis of finishing pigs

Slaughter weight greatly affect carcass characteristics and meat quality. Lipids are considered to be critical contributors to meat quality and vary with different physiological conditions. In this study, we investigated the carcass characteristics, meat quality, and lipidomics profiling of longissimus thoracis from finishing pigs with different slaughter weights. Increasing slaughter weight increased average backfat thickness (p < 0.01) and intramuscular fat content (p < 0.05), and decreased shear force (p < 0.01) and cooking loss values (p < 0.01). A total of 592 lipids from 19 lipid classes identified with lipidomics were analyzed. Phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine levels decreased with the increase in slaughter weight (p < 0.01). There were 101 and 76 significantly different lipids (variable importance in projection > 1, p < 0.05) observed in positive and negative ion modes, respectively. Fatty acids in phosphatidylcholine, specifically oleic and linoleic acids, were significantly altered by slaughter weight (p < 0.05). Our findings provide new insights into the effect of slaughter weight on lipid profiles and highlight the comprehensive lipid profile of pork from heavier pigs.

Automated summary

Increasing slaughter weight in finishing pigs results in higher backfat thickness and intramuscular fat content, while reducing shear force and cooking loss values. Phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine levels decrease with the increase in slaughter weight. Various fatty acids, specifically oleic and linoleic acids, in phosphatidylcholine were significantly altered by slaughter weight.