Genetic analysis of pork bellies

Pork bellies are one of the five major cuts from a pork carcase. In the Australian domestic market the belly portion of the middle has always been of great concern to manufacturers. The bacon rasher, as sold in the Australian market, requires a good meaty streak in the belly to be acceptable. The absence of this streak often leads to rejection and return of the product, and subsequent claims on the producer. The absence of a reasonable streak can also lead to watery pockets in the rasher and result in rejection by the consumer. The composition of pork bellies is also of concern for a number of overseas markets. The belly is not used for bacon manufacture but sold in strips for use in stir-fry type meals in the Singapore market. In Korea the belly is used for barbeques as well as in soup and general cooking. The amount of fat is not an issue but there is still a requirement for a prominent meaty streak. In the Japanese market, the belly is used for the production of bacon and so the presence of a well-defined streak and a higher proportion of lean meat to fat are important. In summary, the belly is a valuable cut of pig carcases with different markets having different requirements. In order to supply each market with the desired belly product it is necessary to be able to predict the composition of the belly and have a good understanding of the factors that influence belly composition. It is the aim of this paper to describe a camera-based measurement system for the prediction of the fat percentage of pork bellies and to present genetic parameters for different characteristics of pork bellies.