Local Pig Breeds in Project TREASURE

Chapter 2

Abstract

scarce.

Portugal

13

Alentejano Pig

Nina Batorek-Lukač

Rui Charneca, José Martins, Amadeu Freitas,

José Neves, José Nunes, Hugo Paixim, Pedro Bento and

The present chapter presents the history and current status of Alentejano pig breed, a Portuguese autochthonous swine breed. A review of literature regarding reproductive and productive traits was carried out. Reproductive performance includes sow age at first parturition and at culling, litters per sow and per year, piglets born alive per litter, percentage of stillborn per litter, piglets birth weight, mortality rate until weaning, piglet weaned per litter, duration of lactation and farrowing interval. Growth performance includes average daily gain and average daily feed intake during lactation, early, middle and late growing stages and fattening stage. Carcass traits were evaluated using age and weight at slaughter, hot carcass weight, carcass yield, lean meat content, back fat thickness at withers and at the level of the last rib, muscle thickness at the cranial edge of gluteus medius muscle and loin eye area. Meat and fat quality traits of longissimus muscle were evaluated by means of pH at 45 min and 24 hours after slaughter, objective colour (CIE L\*, a\* and b\*), intramuscular fat content and fatty acid composition of intramuscular fat. However, a considerable number of studies on Alentejano pig, data on reproductive performance and some parameters of meat quality are still

Keywords: traditional European breed, TREASURE, productive traits, phenotype,

The Alentejano pig belongs to the Mediterranean group [1] and derives, as the

Iberian breed pig, from the primitive Sus scrofa mediterraneus. Alentejano pig belongs to the Iberian type breeds, characterized by low prolificacy [2] and low growth rate (except under "montanheira" regime). It is also quite adipogenic [3]. Its meat and fat are considered as excellent for both fresh meat market and to process high-grade sausage and dry cured products. Alentejano pigs are well adapted to the environment and to the use of natural resources as feed. Already in the first century AD, Roman documents stressed out the importance of acorns from holm oak forests and in the outdoor rearing of these pigs from Lusitanos [4]. Before change and domination of indoors pig production system, Alentejano was the main pig breed in Portugal, representing over 45% of the total national pig population [5]. This breed was predominantly distributed by the regions south of the Tagus river. Due to several factors, this breed declined in numbers and importance, mainly since the second half of the twentieth century, and was on the edge of extinction in the 1980s.

1. History and the current status of the breed (census)

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