Genetic correlations among fatty acid compositions in different sites of fat tissues, meat production, and meat quality traits in Duroc pigs

This study estimated genetic parameters for fatty acids of different sites of fat tissue, meat production, and meat quality traits of Duroc pigs selected during 7 generations for ADG, LM area, backfat thickness (BF), and intramuscular fat (IMF). For this study, 394 barrows and 153 gilts were slaughtered at 105 kg of BW. High heritabilities for C18:0 of outer and inner subcutaneous fat tissue were estimated, respectively, as 0.54 and 0.51; those of intermuscular and intramuscular fat were 0.40 and 0.51, respectively. Genetic and phenotypic correlations of ADG and BF with saturated fatty acids of outer and inner subcutaneous fat were positive, but those with C16:1 and C18:2 were negative, and those with C18:1 were nearly zero. Genetic and phenotypic correlations between LM area and respective fatty acids showed opposite results. Respective genetic and phenotypic correlations of melting points with C18:0 and C18:1 were positive and high, and negative and high, respectively. Genetic correlations between cooking loss and SFA (C14:0, C16:0, and C18:0) of IMF were positive and moderate: 0.56, 0.47, and 0.47, respectively. On the other hand, monosaturated fatty acid of C18:1 was highly and negatively correlated with cooking loss (-0.61). Moreover, high genetic correlation between meat color (pork color standard and lightness) and fatty acid compositions of IMF suggest that the SFA (C14:0, C16:0, and C18:0) were correlated genetically with meat lightness and that unsaturated fatty acid compositions (C18:1 and C18:2) were correlated with meat darkness. Results of this study suggest that the fatty acid composition of adipose tissue is correlated genetically with meat production and meat quality traits.