A technique for muscle biopsy sampling on pigs to assess intramuscular fat

The objective of the research was to develop a rapid, convenient method for sampling the muscle of live young pigs. A biopsy needle has been developed. It consists of two parts, a hollow outer cylinder and an inner stick. From female piglets (10-25 kg) a biopsy sample of 108 ± 42 mg was taken from the biceps femoris. No infections or mobility problems were observed. The sample can be used for further i.m. fat analysis. The mean fat content in the biceps femoris is 2·24 ± 1·12%. This i.m. fat content was measured by extraction in a Soxhlet apparatus and was determined by a Fourier transform Infrared (FTIR) method. Fatty acid composition was determined by gas-liquid chromatography.