The preference of the consumer for pork from homozygous or heterozygous halothane negative animals

To evaluate the taste preference of the consumer for meat from homozygous (NN) halothane negative pigs or heterozygous (Nn) halothane negative pigs, a consumer test was conducted at the "Agriflora" exhibition, concerning Flemish agriculture and horticulture, held from 8 to 10 January 1999 in Ghent, Belgium. The carcass quality of both tested genotypes was similar, while acidity, colour and drip loss were inferior and cooking loss and Warner-Bratzler shear force superior for the Nn pigs compared with the NN pigs. One hundred and seventy-one visitors completed the test correctly. No significant difference was found between NN- and Nn-meat for the tastiness scores. These results do suggest that elimination of the halothane gene from the pig population does not guarantee a better eating quality of the meat.