Flavour favours traditional breeds

9 August 2002

Flavour favours traditional breeds

USING traditional pig breeds will not give any benefit to meat tenderness or juiciness, two key factors in meat quality, according to Jeff Wood of Bristol University.

But flavour, another indicator of meat quality, is enhanced in traditional breeds. He believes this could be a result of the higher fat content on carcasses.

"We studied 190 pigs and found that no matter what diet was employed, the modern pigs, Large White and Duroc, performed better than traditional breeds, Berkshire and Tamworth, in both juicyness and tenderness."

Trial results suggest marketing of traditional breed pigmeat must emphasise meat flavour, says Prof Wood. &#42