title: Relationships between adipose tissue characteristics of newborn pigs and subsequent performance: III. Histological and chemical characteristics of backfat.
abstract: Genetic and phenotypic relationships between adipose tissue characteristics of 253 piglets aged 8 d and qualitative characteristics of their backfat at 95 and 145 kg live weight were studied. Heritability of these qualitative aspects was estimated as well. Backfat samples were tested for cellularity, moisture, lipid content and fatty acid composition of the outer and inner layers. Adipose cellularity at birth proved to be correlated with cell volume, moisture and total unsaturated fatty acid, C18:0 and C18:2 contents present in backfat at slaughter. Estimates of heritability calculated for the outer layer of backfat indicated that progress can be made by selecting for water content and fatty acid composition. Neonatal cellularity furnishes a useful indicator not only of the backfat cell size at slaughter but also of the chemical factors important in determining the physical and organoleptic characteristics of porcine fat.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Zootecniche, Università degli Studi, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Geri
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Poli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zappa
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Campodoni
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Franci
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000032:analysis / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D001835:Body Weight; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013552:Swine / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D008055:Lipids