Study on the Correlations between Mineral Contents in Musculus Longissimus Dorsi and Meat Quality for Five Breeds of Pigs

The correlations between mineral contents in musculus longissimus dorsi and meat quality for five breeds of pigs were studied in this experiment. Two imported breeds (Duroc and Yorkshires) and three local breeds (Huainan pig, Nanyang black pig, Queshan black pig) from Henan province of China were chosen in this trial. Ten 90 kg finishing pigs were selected randomly to slaughter from each breed. Mineral contents of K, Na, Ca, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn in musculus longissimus dorsi were detected by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and their correlations with meat quality were also analyzed. The results showed : (1) Mn and protein contents had no significant difference among all the breeds (p>0.05), (2) K content in Duroc was higher than that in the other four breeds significantly (p<0.01), (3) Mineral contents of Na, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn in local breeds were higher than that in the imported breeds significantly (p<0.01), (4) Marble stripes and meat colour in local breeds were superior to the imported ones, (5) Intramuscular fat content of local breeds was higher than that of the imported ones (p<0.01), (6) There was a significant positive correlation between Zn and the other mineral contents in the muscle (p<0.01 or p<0.05), (7) Both Cu and Fe contents had a significant positive correlation with meat color (p<0.05), but negative correlation with drip loss (p<0.05), (8) There was a positive correlation between Zn and intramuscular fat content (p<0.01), but negative correlation between Zn and drip loss (p<0.01). In conclusion, Minerals in muscle had significant correlations with meat quality elements, but no significant correlations with meat protein and fat contents.