The impact of pig breed on stress levels and meat quality: a study on mangalita purebred and Duroc x Landrace crossbred pigs in Romania

ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate the impact of pig breed on stress levels and meat quality in two commercial pig farms in the north-eastern part of Romania. One farm raised 52 Mangalita pure-bred pigs and the other 82 Duroc x Landrace crossbred pigs. Serum cortisol, a biomarker of stress, and serum glucose were measured before and after slaughtering, while meat pH was measured at 45 minutes and 24 hours post-mortem. Results showed that the Duroc x Landrace crossbred pigs had higher serum cortisol and glucose values before and after slaughtering compared to the Mangalita purebred pigs. The meat pH values of the two breeds were similar, with the pH45 and pH24 values being 6.67 and 5.48 for Duroc x Landrace crossbred and 6.53 and 5.52 for Mangalita purebred, respectively. These results suggest that pig breed can have an impact on stress levels and meat quality, with Duroc x Landrace crossbred pigs showing higher stress levels and meat quality being not affected by the breed of pig. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and to understand the underlying mechanisms.

摘要：本研究旨在探究猪种对罗马尼亚东北部两个商业猪场中应激水平和肉质的影响。其中一个农场饲养了52头纯种曼加利塔猪，另一个农场饲养了82头杜洛克×兰德瑞斯杂交猪。在屠宰前后，通过测量血清皮质醇（应激的生物标志物）和血清葡萄糖，而在死后45分钟和24小时测量肉质pH值。结果显示，与曼加利塔纯种猪相比，杜洛克×兰德瑞斯杂交猪在屠宰前后的血清皮质醇和葡萄糖值均较高。两个品种的肉质pH值相似，其中杜洛克×兰德瑞斯杂交猪的pH45和pH24值分别为6.67和5.48，而曼加利塔纯种猪的pH45和pH24值分别为6.53和5.52。这些结果表明，猪种可能对应激水平和肉质产生影响，杜洛克×兰德瑞斯杂交猪表现出更高的应激水平，而肉质并未受到猪种的影响。为进一步证实这些发现并揭示其潜在机制，需要进行进一步的研究。