The Quality of Meat and Cured Meat Products in European fatty pigs.

The quality of meat and cured meat product from native European pig breeds is affected by genetic, environmental rearing/feeding effects. Many of the main European local breeds are characterized by an higher adiposity of carcass and meat and they have an interesting quality of products with respect to improved pigs. Moreover, this breeds are not reared in intensive way but, frequently, in free range conditions. It is well known that the outdoor system increases the value of animal products due to the influence of pasture the chemical, physical and sensorial characteristics of the product. Traditional food products of high quality, such as those obtained from animals reared outdoor, or supplied by unimproved breeds, are in high demand. The studies carried out on autochthonous pig breeds on local European breeds, have focused on various topics: - genetic, aimed at averting the danger of extinction and reducing inbreeding; - feeding, to evaluate the effect of different feeding source on quality of products; technologic, to describe the effect of different curing processes on the quality of products. The purpose of this review is to analyse the literature on pig breeds of Europe, with particular reference to the effects of genetics and breeding systems on the quality of products. As regard the genetic effect, the term “improved” generally refers to the cosmopolitan pig breeds that have undergone genetic improvements aimed at enhancing their productive performance. Some scientific studies have compared native pigs with “improved” ones, so it is possible to verify the actual gap between the two genetic types and to evaluate the effects of genetic improvement in swine during the last half century. As regard the rearing/feeding system, the local breeds are almost always reared outdoors so, the environmental effects on quality are the combined result of both the farming system and the feeding regimen. The purpose of this key-note is to analyse the effect of some affecting factors on the quality of meat and meat products of European pig breeds with particular reference to the effects of genetics and rearing systems.