Effect of Piglet Birth Weight on Selected Characteristics of Pork

The objective of the study was to determine how different birth weights of piglets influence some chemical and physical characteristics of pig meat. Piglets were grouped according to birth weight: ≤1.30 kg (group I), 1.31-1.70 kg (group II), ≥1.71 kg (group III). Animals were reared and fattened under standardized housing and feeding conditions. Tests were conducted with 60 samples of meat (20 per group) collected from the right side of the carcasses (M. longissimus lumborum) of threebreed crosses of (Polish Landrace × Polish Large White) × Duroc (barrows to gilts, 1:1), which were slaughtered at about 180 days of age. Determinations were made of basic chemical composition, colour of meat, drip loss, shear force value, and fatty acid profile. It was found that the birth weight of the piglets affects meat colour (redness), crude fat content and the proportion of some fatty acids (C16:1, C20:1 n-9, C20:2 n-6, C20:5 n-3).