Ham quality and its relationship to carcass quality I. Ultrasonic and other measurements

Ham quality and its relationship to carcass quality were studied in Landrace and Yorkshire pigs at the Puistola testing station. The research material was as follows: 1) ultrasonic and other measurements and points evaluation of 236 live pigs in three weight classes, and conventional carcass evaluation of these pigs; 2) ultrasonic and other measurements and points evaluation of 97 live pigs, determinations of the specific weight of the ham, and the dissection results on the left half of the carcass. The subjective points evaluation of ham performed on the live pigs did not correlate with the subjective points evaluation made on the carcasses. Nor did the exterior measurements made on the ham provide sufficient information about the slaughter quality of the ham. By means of stepwise multiple regression analysis, estimations were obtained for the skin + fat and meat + bone components of the most valuable part of the carcass and of the ham. In these estimations the most important were the dissection results and specific weight of the ham and the ultrasonic measurements. The statistically significant effect of the slaughter weight emerged to such an extent that corrections according to slaughter weight were found necessary in the dissection analysis