Proposal of genetic traceability for Cinta Senese products

Cinta Senese is a white belted pig breed native of Italy. This breed is characterized by an high quality meat whereas its productive and reproductive performances are poor. The breed currently produces fresh and cured products with high market price. One of the factors associated with this high price is the quality of the raw material but consumers require that Cinta Senese be the only breed involved. There are some Cinta Senese products which are currently in the process of being recognized by European Union (PDO). Nevertheless the deceitful use of more fruitful breeds is anyhow possible, therefore the institution of a protocol for a DNA-based traceability of Cinta Senese products would be desirable. Traditionally breeds were classified by their colour or type so that over time a Standard of Excellence (phenotypic conformity) was developed to define phenotype and supplemented by pedigree information. One of the main distinguishing features for pig breeds is coat colour and pattern. Two loci, Extension and Dominant White have a major influence on coat colour. The genes involved have been identified (MC1R and KIT respectively), variants have been described and associations with breed and colour determined (Giuffra et al., 2002, Johansson Moller et al., 1996, Kijas et al., 1998, 2001, Marklund et al., 1998, Pielberg et al., 2002). All the assayed mutations are causal of the investigated phenomena. These polymorphisms could play an important role in Quality Assurance programmes and maintenance of brand identity. The aim of this work was the study of these polymorphisms in Cinta Senese breed and the final purpose was the establishment of a DNA-based traceability protocol of Cinta Senese products