A. Festerling’s scientific contributions

The suitability of electrical conductivity measurements for determining meat quality in pigs was investigated. Electrical conductivity (EC) was measured between 40 and 60 min postmortem and 24 hr postmortem in different muscles of about 3500 purebred and crossbred female pigs at the experimental station. In addition this method was used under practical conditions in four slaughterhouses on 17000 pigs. The observed accuracy, precision and validity qualifies this method as a safe and simple measurement for predicting meat quality at 40 min postmortem and also for quality control in the purchase of chilled carcasses at 24 hr postmortem. On the basis of the usual methods for identification of meat quality different grades were derived for the commercial classification of pig meat quality. The EC method has been introduced on trial in German pig progeny testing stations.

Several crossbreeding experiments were conducted in which Pietrain boars were mated with stress resistant sows of a specially developed line of German Landrace selected for homozygosity in the halothane negative reaction (DL HN), or with German Landrace halothane positive sows (DL HP), or with stress resistant F1 German Landrace × Edelschwein sows (DE × DL). Reproduction criteria for 559 litters from 396 sows indicated an improvement with the stress resistant purebred and crossbred sows, although the mean number of piglets born per litter was not significantly different between HN and HP sows. The carcass composition of the progeny of DL (HN) sows was only slightly less favourable from that of the progeny of DL (HP) sows. In contrast all criteria of meat quality were superior to the progeny of DL (HN) sows. It was concluded that, despite the observed difference in leanness, the crossbred Pi × DL (HN) pigs combined superior meat quality with a sufficiently good carcass grade.