Slaughter weight, carcass performance and backfat thickness relations with losses during the cutting process of hams and shoulders from Iberian pigs fattened at montanera

Cutting process of hams and shoulders from Iberian pigs is based in removing some muscle mass, fat and skin to obtain the traditional and standard commercial shape, which makes these different from other commercial cured pieces. There is a significant correlation (p<0.01) between backfat thickness (measured at two different levels: last thoracic vertebra 6.67 ± 0.87 cm and 4th lumbar vertebra 9.45 ± 1.12 cm) and weigh loss in hams and shoulders by cutting process (5.95 ± 1.09 kg and 21.40% ± 3.32 in hams vs 4.30 ± 0.61 kg 23.09 ± 2.77% in shoulders). Besides there is significant correlation (p<0.05) between ham weigh losses by cutting process and carcass performance, and between shoulder weigh losses by cutting process and slaughter and carcass weighs (p<0.01).