Pork and pork products: how to fulfill a variety of quality demands?

Abstract

Pork is the first meat consumed in France and worldwide, either as fresh meat or various processed products. The wide variety of pork products exhibiting particular intrinsic characteristics together with the specific demands of the different actors of pork chains, make the notion of pork quality very complex. This includes many components whose importance depends on the chain actors and products considered: commercial value of carcasses or primary cuts, ability for processing into cooked or cured products, nutritional or sensory properties, impact of rearing conditions on animal welfare or the environment. The development of tools to predict pork quality and of approaches integrating quality components of products and production systems will contribute to fulfill the various demands of the chain actors and ensure the sustainability of pig production.