An Exploratory Study on Farming System and Meat Quality of Black Alpine Pig

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Food Science
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• The Black Alpine pig (BAP) is a rare Italian alpine ecotype facing recovery efforts.
• Traditional farming systems and meat quality of BAP are under-characterized.
• Understanding BAP traits is crucial for genetic resource maintenance and biodiversity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize traditional BAP farming systems and meat quality.
• To compare BAP meat quality with commercial pork (CP).
• To provide insights supporting BAP conservation and traditional agriculture.

Main Methods:

• On-farm data collection on productive and reproductive parameters from six BAP farms.
• Analysis of Longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle and backfat for color, texture, composition, and fatty acids.
• Exploratory analysis of CP loin samples and multivariate data using Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA).

Main Results:

• BAP farming is an 'en plein air' system with high outdoor access and natural vegetation reliance.
• BAPs exhibit high rusticity and slow growth rates.
• BAP LD muscle shows firm texture, intense dark-red color, and high polyunsaturated fatty acids, indicating rustic meat characteristics.

Conclusions:

• BAP farming practices and meat quality are characterized for the first time.
• Results support BAP genetic resource maintenance through traditional farming.
• Findings contribute to alpine livestock biodiversity preservation and offer evidence of current BAP farming systems.