Conference paper
PARTICULARITIES OF PIG BREEDING IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA – CURRENT STATE AND FUTURE PROSPECTS
Gordana Kralik
; Poljoprivredni fakultet Sveučilišta u Osijeku, Osijek, Hrvatska
Vladimir Margeta
; Poljoprivredni fakultet Sveučilišta u Osijeku, Osijek, Hrvatska
Igor Kralik
; Poljoprivredni fakultet Sveučilišta u Osijeku, Osijek, Hrvatska
Kristina Budimir
; Poljoprivredni fakultet Sveučilišta u Osijeku, Osijek, Hrvatska
Abstract
There is a long tradition of pig breeding in the Republic of Croatia. This paper elaborates on developments in pig production in the period from 2006 to 2011, by analyzing its important factors. In the analyzed period, population of pigs was significantly reduced (consisted of 34.88% of pigs for breeding, 45.54% of gilts, and 22.33% of slaughtered pigs), while the import was increased by significant 29.90%. Under production control system, there were 26.586 sows, of which 90.4% bred on large agricultural farms and only 9.6% on family farms. In 2011, the population of sows consisted of Topigs with 25.94%, PIC (47.40%), different crossbreeds (12.42%), while 15.89% referred to purebreds: Large White, Swedish Landrace, German Landrace, Duroc and Pietrain, as well as autochthonous breeds of Black Slavonian pig and Turopolje pig. Breeding of Black Slavonian pig spread on family farms. In 2011, there were 896 sows and 109 boars of this breed in the Republic of Croatia. This breed is characterized by a share of about 40% of meat with typical intramuscular fat, which by its quantity and composition affects the taste and technological properties of meat. Therefore, they meat is used in production of traditional high quality products. The paper emphasizes the importance of pig meat in human nutrition and presents possibilities for enriching it with functional ingredients such as n-3 PUFA and selenium. Increase of the αLNA, EPA and DHA content, as well as selenium content in pig meat can be achieved within feeding treatments composed of specific forages and oil supplements. Increase of selenium content in pig meat is proportional to the concentration of that microelement in pig diets. Pig meat can be considered as functional food if it is enriched with ingredients that positively affect physiological functions in human organism, thus being beneficial to health. This paper analyzes possibilities for future developments of pig production in
the Republic of Croatia.
Keywords
pigs; origin; welfare; meat composition; functional ingredient
Hrčak ID:
99941
URI
Publication date:
28.2.2013.
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