Estimation of Genetic Parameters for Meat Quality Traits and Correlation Sensory Traits and Meat Quality Traits in Purebred Duroc Pigs
collected from approximately 1100 purebred Duroc pigs between 2011 and 2017. The meat quality traits evaluated were: moisture content (MC), fat content (FC), water holding capacity (WHC), cooking loss (CL), and shear force (SF). Meat samples were evaluated for the following fatty acids: palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids. We evaluated the meat for the following sensory traits: color, flavor, tenderness, juiciness, and acceptability of the meat. Variance and covariance components were estimated using restricted maximum likelihood procedures on different animal models. The results showed that the estimates of heritability for MC, FC, WHC, CL, and SF were 0.17, 0.58, 0.34, 0.31, and 0.42, respectively. The heritability estimates for fatty acid composition were moderate to high (0.34 to 0.63). The estimates of genetic correlation were -0.60 and 0.46 between MC and FC, and MC and SF, respectively. Generally, phenotypic correlation between meat quality traits was low. Linoleic acid had moderate to high negative phenotypic and genotypic correlation with both palmitic and oleic acid. Comparison of meat quality traits and sensory traits revealed a positive correlation (0.208) between acceptability and WHC, while the correlation between acceptability and SF was negative (-0.207). The estimated genetic parameters among meat quality traits, sensory traits, and fatty acid composition in this study are expected to be used to improve pork to suit consumer preferences.