Cinta Senese Pig

Cinta Senese is an Italian autochthonous pig breed, one of the local pig breeds investigated in the project TREASURE. The present chapter aims to present history and status of Cinta Senese pig breed, its phenotypic characteristics, geographical location, production system and the quality of its main products. Reproductive performance was estimated by several data: sow age at first parturition, litters/sow/year, piglets alive/litter, weaning weight, stillborn/litter, death rate percentage at weaning, duration of lactation, length of farrowing and sow age at culling. Growth performance was estimated by means of average daily gain in lactation and from birth to slaughter, growing at early, middle, late and overall fattening stage and average daily feed intake in late and overall fattening stage. Carcass traits were evaluated by means of age and weight at slaughtering, hot carcass weight, carcass yield, loin eye area and back fat thickness at the first thoracic vertebra, last rib and above gluteus medius muscle. Meat quality traits of the longissimus muscle were evaluated by means of the following: pH at 45 minutes and 24 hours after slaughtering, instrumental measurements of colour (CIE L*, a*, b*) and intramuscular fat content. Fatty acid composition was evaluated in back fat tissue.