Determination of the Carcass Characteristics of Breeding Pigs in Cote D'ivoire
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to determine the characteristics of the carcass of pigs reared in the south of Côte d'Ivoire. The work involved 320 pigs from pig farms in the district of Abidjan and around Abidjan, and a few pig farms in the provinces of Côte d'Ivoire. The animals are left on fasting in the SIVAC slaughterhouse park on the eve of slaughter. On the day of slaughter, the animals are weighed on the ground and after slaughter; the pigs are gutted, split before the carcass weight is determined. The lean meat content of the carcasses is determined by the manual method, using the grading slider ZweiPunkt (ZP), and then the carcasses are classified according to the EUROP grid. The study reveals that the pigs slaughtered at the SIVAC slaughterhouse have an average live weight of 89.1 ± 13.6 kg. The average carcass weight is 66.5 ± 11.2 kg and the average carcass efficiency is 74.71 ± 4.5 %. Most pig’scarcasses are in class E where the estimated lean meat content is greater than or equal to 55%. Female pigs are predominantly less fatty than castrated male pigs, with estimated lean meat content greater than or equal to 55 %. These results confirm that the pigs reared in Côte d'Ivoire are less fat and partially meet the nutritional needs of the population.
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Introduction
Côte d'Ivoire has significant agricultural potential for ensuring appreciable food production for an estimated population of 23 million [1] .However, it has a significant gap between production and demand for animal protein. The food balance sheet for Côte d'Ivoire (2001-2007) shows alow availability of animal products which is 12.5 kg on average per inhabitant and per year for meat, against 35 kg on average per capita per year. According to [2], Côte d'Ivoire is highly dependent on imports of animal and animal products, apart from eggs. The production of meats from ruminants and poultry, alone, cannot fill the growing protein deficit, given the current and especially future constraints linked to these farms [3]. A development strategy for the pig sector can be an alternative to protein feeding problems. It can play an important role in improving the nutritional status of the population. However, the pork sector presents today many challenges, namely the acceptability of the product by society and its response to consumer requirements in terms of price, quality and safety [4]. In Côte d'Ivoire, people tend to consider pork too fatty and incompatible with good nutrition. The objective of this work is to determine the characteristics of the carcass of pigs slaughtered at the Abidjan SIVAC slaughterhouse.
Conclusion
Most pig carcasses with an average carcass yield of 74.71 ± 4.5 % are in class E where the estimated lean meat content is greater than or equal to 55 %. Compared to castrated males, female pigs are predominantly less fat with an estimated lean meat content greater than or equal to 55 % .These results confirm that pigs reared in Côte d'Ivoire are less fat and partly respond to nutritional needs of the population.
