The crossbreeding of different Duroc lines with the Iberian pig affects colour and oxidative stability of meat during storage

Colour and oxidative stability of Longissimus dorsi (LD) and Biceps femoris (BF) muscles from 3 different Iberian × Duroc genotypes (GEN1: ♂ Iberian × ♀ Duroc1, GEN2: ♂ Duroc1 × ♀ Iberian; GEN3: ♂ Duroc2 × ♀ Iberian) were analysed during 10 days of refrigerated storage. GEN1 and GEN2 are reciprocal crosses, while the difference between GEN2 and GEN3 is the Duroc sire line. The genotype Duroc1 was selected for the manufacture of dry-cured-meat products while the genotype Duroc2 was selected for meat production. BF showed more intense colour and oxidative changes during storage than LD, which is in accordance with their different metabolic pattern, since BF is an intermediate oxidative muscle whereas LD is a glycolytic one. Important differences were found between crosses due to the genotype of the Duroc sire line; however, reciprocal crosses (GEN1 and GEN2) showed a similar pattern. The lowest post-mortem pH of GEN3 could be a deciding factor of the oxidative and colour stability during storage as GEN3 had higher drip and cook loss as well as higher susceptibility to iron-ascorbate-induced oxidation. In addition, chops from GEN3 were paler (lower L∗) and showed a higher discolouration (higher decrease of a∗) besides higher lipid (TBA-RS) and protein oxidation (carbonyl content) after the storage.