Ivona Djurkin Kušec

By Vladimir Margeta, Kristina Gvozdanović, Goran Kušec, Ivona Djurkin Kušec and Nina Batorek-Lukač

Black Slavonian (Crna slavonska) pig was created during the second part of the nineteenth century using planned crossing between four pig breeds. It is an autochthonous pig breed in the Republic of Croatia and one of the local pig breeds investigated in the project TREASURE. The present chapter aims to present history and current status of Black Slavonian pig breed, its exterior phenotypic characteristics, reproductive traits, geographical location, production system and main products from this breed of pigs. Also, a collection and review of available literature data, available until August 2017, on productive traits of Black Slavonian pig breed were carried out. Growth performance was estimated utilising average daily gain and average daily feed intake in the overall fattening stage as this was the information mostly provided in considered studies. Carcass traits were evaluated by means of age and weight at slaughter, hot carcass weight, carcass yield, muscularity and back fat thickness. Meat quality traits of the longissimus muscle evaluated were objective colour and intramuscular fat content. Although a considerable number of studies on Black Slavonian pig were included in the current review, data on growth performance and some parameters of carcass, meat and fat quality are scarce.

Part of the book: European Local Pig Breeds - Diversity and Performance

By Ivona Djurkin Kušec and Kristina Gvozdanović

Pork represents one of the most important sources of protein in the human diet. Consumers today expect their food to be safe and of expected quality. Therefore, traceability and originality of the product must be guaranteed. This chapter provides an overview of the different approaches used for traceability and authentication of pork and pork products. Different DNA-based methods for meat speciation and authentication are described and their potential for use in the pork industry is highlighted.

Part of the book: Tracing the Domestic Pig

By Goran Kušec, Ivona Djurkin Kušec and Kristina Gvozdanović

The phenomenon of growth can be viewed as the key basis of pig production and has therefore long been the subject of intensive research. Growth is the result of a series of biological processes in the animal and it is not surprising that an immense amount of research has been carried out by scientists from various disciplines. Since growth is influenced by genetic and environmental factors and their interaction, most of the studies mentioned here deal with these aspects. In addition, this review deals with the different methods for the description of growth and the application of some growth models in various studies in pigs. It is concluded that understanding the relationships between the factors that influence growth and developing accurate models are essential for implementing strategies to better utilize growth potential of pigs.

Part of the book: Tracing the Domestic Pig