Evaluating carcass measurements and dissection results as alternatives to visual pig carcass conformation assessment

This study investigated alternatives to the categorical visual pig carcass conformation scores (VCCS) to optimally complement lean meat percentage (LMP) and hot carcass weight (HCW) in describing the carcass value of slaughtered pigs. A total of 130 pig carcasses were selected and evaluated using the VCCS. Carcass measurements were then recorded, after which the left carcass half was EU-jointed and dissected into ham, loin, shoulder and belly. Of the 38 carcass measurement and dissection parameters evaluated, the ponderal index, ham index, shoulder bone content, loin bone content and the relative weight of the hindfoot and -shank were simultaneously independent of both HCW and LMP. Of these parameters, only the ham index and ponderal index showed a significant difference in the pairwise comparison between VCCS classes 4 (N = 59) and 5 (N = 55), indicating that they could serve as a replacement for the current VCCS determination.