Utilization of the Casertana pig to obtain traditional typified labelled salami. II. Qualitative characteristics of meat at carcass jointing

The research was carried out on 15 castrated males and 10 females of Casertana pig slaughtered at a live weight ranging from 130 to 250 kg. Rheological and colorimetric characteristics were determined on the muscles Caput longum tricipitis brachii (CL), longissimus dorsi (LD), psoas maior (PM) anconeus (PA), supraspinatus (SS) after storage at -20 °C for 120 d. Statistical analysis considered live weight as covariate and sex, muscle and interaction as fixed factor (GLM procedure, SAS). Results showed that females have darker meat than castrated males. LD muscle showed the lowest value of a* and b* and was chracacterized by the greater lightness with the lowest chroma and the highest hue value. On the other hand, PA was the darkest muscle and showed the worst rheological traits. PM exhibited the lowest hardness and chewiness value. Sex did not significantly affect rheological characteristics.