Application of a non-invasive tool and identification of genetic markers in swine to enhance ham quality: a preliminary study

A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed as a preliminary step to identify regions poten-tially related to ham quality traits. In this research, genomic information was obtained from 238 commer-cial hybrid pigs utilising the GeneSeek & REG; Genomic Profiler genome-wide porcine genotyping array. Carcasses were tested for hot weight, the thickness of backfat and loin, and lean meat percentage. The corresponding fresh hams were assayed for weight and ultimate pH; the activities of Cathepsin B and Ferrochelatase of Semimembranosus muscle were determined through fluorimetric methods. The lean meat percentage of fresh ham (LMPH), salt absorbed after first (SALT1) and overall salting stages (SALT) were estimated online by the Ham InspectorTM apparatus. Hams were processed in compliance with the procedures established for Protected Designation of Origin Parma ham, and ham weight losses were measured at the main processing stages. Hot carcass weights showed a significant negative corre-lation with their lean meat percentage and LMPH, while LMPH was correlated positively with carcass lean meat, SALT1, SALT, and weight losses. The GWAS detected genome-wide association for 12 single nu-cleotide polymorphisms with Ferrochelatase activity. The results obtained in this preliminary study were achieved by combining innovative and non-destructive technologies for screening hams under process-ing, measures of enzymatic muscle properties relevant to dry-cured ham quality, and genomic informa-tion obtained through a GWAS. Additional studies carried out in a larger number of pigs have been planned to investigate the effect of gene variants of Ferrochelatase activity in the dry-cured ham's quality with main reference to colour development and to confirm the GWAS results obtained in this study.& COPY; 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of The Animal Consortium. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

A genome-wide association study was conducted to identify potential regions related to ham quality traits. Genomic information was obtained from commercial hybrid pigs, and various measurements and assays were performed on the carcasses and fresh hams. The study combined innovative technologies, enzymatic muscle properties, and genomic information to investigate the quality of dry-cured ham.