The effects of gender and castration of females on performance and carcass and meat quality of heavy pigs destined to the dry-cured industry

The effects of gender and castration of females (IF, intact females; CF, castrated females; CM, castrated males) on performance and carcass and meat quality were studied in crossbred pigs (Landrace × Large White dams × Duroc sires) slaughtered at 119.2 (experiment 1) or 131.6 (experiment 2) kg body weight. Intact females had better feed conversion and less carcass fat than CF and CM. Trimmed shoulder yield was higher for CM than for CF with IF being intermediate. Primal cut yield and meat quality were similar for all treatments. Proportion of linoleic acid in backfat was lower in CF than in IF or CM and the differences were significant when pigs were slaughtered at 131.6 kg. The higher fat content and the fatty acid profile favor the use of castrated females and males over intact females for the production of heavy pigs destined to the dry-cured industry.