Author(s)

Wagner A. G. Araújo, Luiz F. T. Albino, Nilva K. Sakomura, Pedro V. R. Paulino, Anastacia M. Campos

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The meat quality can be influenced by many interacting factors before and after the slaughter. Currently more sustainable production systems are targeted in general, whether or not they have any effect on meat quality. The sustainability is a condition of agroecology and necessarily im- plies on the animal and plant association and succession. A condition for sustainability is to minimize or even eliminate the use of inputs from processes of chemical synthesis. In the case of pigs and poultry, this is feasible by adopting production systems that allows nutria- ents recycle directly on the soil at levels that do not involve pollution. Although we have the understanding that the general principles of sustainability to be observed are universal, the solution is not simple. For each situation a vi- able alternative must be sought, depending on the social, economic, ecological and cultural realities. In tropical and subtropical climates the production of pigs and poultry outdoors can be an appropriate option. This also leads to nutria- ents recycle and promotes a better energy bal- ance of the system. Among the alternatives that can be taken to introduce differentiating factors in meat production as food is the type of pro- duction system, due to its direct impact on the meat quality. These systems have a direct in- fluence through the consumed food, by the conditions of animal wellbeing, physical activity and the environment provided. The performance and meat quality depend on the interaction of genotypes, rearing conditions, pre-slaughter handling and processing of the meat and the carcass. The influence of the rearing system on the animal performance, on the carcass and finally on the meat is the result of the interactive effects among facilities, feeding level and ge-notype used in the production systems. The production of poultry and pigs more extensively tend to get a final product with its own or- ga-noleptic characteristics, changing the meat de-fault color and content, place of fat deposi- tion and the fatty acid profile deposited on the carcass.

Alternative Systems; Meat Quality; Poultry; Swine

Araújo, W. , Albino, L. , Sakomura, N. , Paulino, P. and Campos, A. (2011) Meat quality in “in door” and “out door” production systems of poultry and swine. Open Journal of Animal Sciences, 1, 75-88. doi: 10.4236/ojas.2011.13010.