• Title/Summary/Keyword: Crossbred Pig

Search Result 170, Processing Time 0.024 seconds

Changes in the Quality of Loin from Pigs Supplemented with Dietary Methyl Sulfonyl Methane during Cold Storage (식이유황(硫黃)을 급여한 돈육 등심의 저온저장 중 품질특성 변화)

  • Lee, Jeong-Ill;Min, Hyoung-Kyu;Lee, Jin-Woo;Jeong, Jae-Doo;Ha, Young-Joo;Kwack, Suk-Chun;Park, Jeong-Suk
    • Food Science of Animal Resources
    • /
    • v.29 no.2
    • /
    • pp.229-237
    • /
    • 2009
  • This study was conducted to compare the quality of the pork from finishing pigs that were fed diets containing different levels of methyl sulfonyl methane (MSM). A total of 135 crossbred pigs $(Landrace{\times}Yorkshire{\times}Duroc)$ were fed either with a control commercial diet or the control diet supplemented with 300- and 500-ppm MSM for 158d. The pigs were slaughtered at approximately 110kg live weight and were transported to the local slaughterhouse for electrical stunning followed by exsanguination. After the slaughter, the pork muscles were dissected from each carcass, placed in wrap package bags, and stored for 8d at $4^{\circ}C$. The TEARS values of the pigs that were fed MSM diets were significantly lower (p<0.05) compared with those of the pigs that were fed with non-supplemented diets. The Na, Mg, and Ca contents of the dietary MSM were significantly lower (p<0.05) than those of the non-supplemented diets, but the Fe, Cu, and Zn contents of the dietary MSM were significantly higher (p<0.05) than those of the non-supplemented diets, and the increased level of MSM supplementation resulted in higher sulfur contents. There was no difference among the diets in terms of amino acid content. The dietary supplementation with MSM, however, led to increased saturated fatty acid and decreased unsaturated fatty acid (%) in the pork muscles (p<0.05). The sensory panelists recorded greater marbling and overall acceptability scores in the samples with 500-ppm-MSM dietary supplementation (p<0.05). These data suggest that supplementing pig diets with MSM can improve the quality of the pork and can enhance the eating quality because the sensory panels found that the pork from pigs that were fed an MSM-supplemented diet had better sensory characteristics.

Effects of Dietary Energy Level and Slaughter Weight on Growth Performance and Grades and Quality Traits of the Carcass in Finishing Pigs (비육돈에서 사료의 에너지 수준과 도살체중이 성장성적과 도체의 등급 및 육질특성에 미치는 영향)

  • Park, Man-Jong;Jeong, Jin-Yeun;Ha, Duck-Min;Han, Jeong-Cheol;Sim, Tae-Geon;Park, Byung-Chul;Park, Gu-Boo;Joo, Seon-Tea;Lee, Chul-Young
    • Journal of Animal Science and Technology
    • /
    • v.51 no.2
    • /
    • pp.143-154
    • /
    • 2009
  • (Y $\times$ L) $\times$ D-crossbred gilts and barrows weighing $80.2\pm0.2$ kg were fed a "medium-energy" (ME) or "low-energy" (LE) diet (3.2 vs 3.0 M cal DE/kg) and slaughtered at 110, 125, or 138 kg, after which physicochemical and sensory quality traits of major primal cuts of resulting carcasses were analyzed, under a 2 (sex) $\times$ 2 (diet) $\times$ 3 (slaughter weight; SW) factorial arrangement of treatments. The ADG and ADFI were greater (P<0.01) in barrows than in gilts and also in 125- and 138-kg vs 110-kg SW. Moreover, ADG and gain:feed were greater in ME vs LE (P<0.01), whereas ADFI was greater in LE vs ME (P<0.01). Backfat thickness, which increased with increasing SW (P<0.01), was not affected by sex or diet. Carcass marbling score was greater (P<0.01) in gilts and LE than in barrows and ME, respectively. Carcass quality grade, which was superior in LE vs ME, was not affected by SW, whereas the yield grade decreased abruptly between 125- and 138-kg SW primarily due to the upper limit of carcass weight imposed on the A and B grades. Physicochemical characteristics including pH, drip loss, and variables pertaining to color of belly, ham, and loin were not affected significantly by any of the treatment factors, albeit statistically significant in some cases, in terms of quality criteria. In sensory evaluation, the acceptability of fresh belly was not influenced by any of the treatment factors. Marbling score of fresh ham was greater in LE vs ME (P<0.01) and tended to increase between 110- and 125-kg SW (P=0.10); in loin, the increase of this variable between the two SW was significant (P<0.01). Following cooking, LE was superior to ME in the acceptability in belly and ham, but the effect of SW was insignificant in any of the sensory quality traits evaluated in this study in any of the three major primal cuts. In conclusion, the present results suggest that SW can be increased to up to 138 kg without compromising carcass quality and that LE has some beneficial effects on quality of the whole carcass and the major primal cuts.

Relationships of the Slaughter Weight to Growth Performance and Meat Quality Traits in Finishing Pigs Fed A Low-energy Diet (저에너지 사료로 비육된 돼지에서 도살체중과 성장성적 및 육질과의 관계)

  • Park, Man-Jong;Jeong, Jin-Yeun;Ha, Duck-Min;Park, Jae-Wan;Sim, Tae-Geon;Yang, Han-Sul;Lee, Chul-Young;Joo, Seon-Tea;Park, Byung-Chul
    • Journal of Animal Science and Technology
    • /
    • v.51 no.2
    • /
    • pp.135-142
    • /
    • 2009
  • The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of slaughter weight (SW) of finishing pigs fed a low-energy diet on growth efficiency and carcass quality and thereby to assess the optimal SW. (Yorkshire $\times$ Landrace) $\times$ Duroc-crossbred gilts and barrows were fed a diet containing 3,060 kcal DE/kg from 80-kg BW and slaughtered at 110, 125, or 135 kg, after which the belly, the most preferred cut in Korea, as well as the least preferred cuts ham and loin were subjected to physicochemical and sensory analyses. Both ADG and ADFI were greater (P<0.05) in the group slaughtered at 125 or 135 kg than in the 110-kg-SW group, whereas the opposite was true for gain:feed (P<0.01). Backfat thickness (BFT), which increased with increasing SW (P<0.01 and P<0.05), was greater in barrows than in gilts (P<0.01); BFT of barrows at 125 kg (24.6 mm) was comparable to that of gilts at 135 kg (24.2 mm). Physicochemical characteristics of the belly, ham and loin were minimally affected, if not affected, by SW; of note, however, the redness of the ham increased between 110- and 125-kg SW (P<0.05). In sensory evaluation of the belly, the fat:lean balance, which is a most important quality trait in this cut, was best (P<0.05) at 125 kg of SW, but the overall acceptability of this cut was not changed by SW. In the ham and loin, the marbling score increased (P<0.01) between 110- and 125-kg SW, whereas color, aroma, off-flavor, and drip were unaffected by SW. In addition, the acceptability of the loin increased (P<0.05) between 110- and 125-kg SW. In cooked meats, none of color, aroma, off-flavor, juiciness, tenderness, taste, and acceptability was changed by SW, except for an increase (P<0.05) in darkness of loin color between 110- and 125-kg SW. In conclusion, the optimal SW for the present subpopulation on the present low-energy diet lie in between 125 and 135 kg for gilts and at 125 kg for barrows.

Evaluation of Bio-starch from Corn Processing to Replace Dried-Whey in Weaned Pigs (이유자돈에서 건조 유청 대체를 위한 옥수수 전분 가공제품 Bio-starch의 급여 평가)

  • Shin, Seung-Oh;Yoo, Jong-Sang;Lee, Je-Hyun;Jang, Hae-Dong;Kim, Hyo-Jin;Huang, Yan;Chen, Ying he;Cho, Jin-Ho;Kim, In-Ho
    • Journal of Animal Science and Technology
    • /
    • v.50 no.4
    • /
    • pp.499-508
    • /
    • 2008
  • This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of bio-starch from corn processing to replace dried whey in weaned pigs. A total of 120 crossbred [(Landrace×Yorkshire)×Duroc] pigs were weaned at 21 days of age weighing 6.01±0.34 kg in average. Five week feeding trial consisted of phase 1(0~2 wks) and phase 2(3~5 wks). Dietary treatments included 1) CON(basal diet), 2) BS5(whey 5%, partial substitution of bio-starch), 3) BS10(whey 10%, partial substitution of bio-starch) and 4) BS15(whey 15%, partial substitution of bio-starch). There were four dietary treatments with six replicate pens per treatment and five pigs per pen. During the overall period, there were no significant differences in the ADG(average daily gain) and gain/feed ratio among the treatments(P>0.05). However, the ADFI(average daily feed intake) was higher in BS5 and BS15 treatments than in CON treatment(P<0.05). At the 2nd week, dry matter and nitrogen digestibility were increased(quadratic effect, P=0.03 and P=0.01, respectively; cubic effect, P<0.001 and P=0.01, respectively) with the highest at 10% of bio-starch inclusion in the diets. At the last week of the experiment, dry matter, nitrogen and energy digestibility were increased(P<0.05) with the highest at 5% of bio-starch inclusion in the diets. At the 2nd week total protein concentration was increased(linear effect, P=0.04; cubic effect, P=0.01) with the highest at 10% of bio-starch inclusion in the diets. Also, BUN(blood urea nitrogen) was increased(linear effect, P=0.01) as the level of bio-starch inclusion increased in the diets. Fecal consistency score was inclined to lowers CON treatment than other treatments. In conclusion, the result of trial indicates that bio-starch can be included at the level of 5~10% of weaning pig diet replacing part of the dried-whey, and digestibilities were positively affected by bio-starch at growth stage.

Association between Numerical Variations of Vertebrae and Carcass Traits in Jeju Native Black Pigs, Landrace Pigs, and Crossbred F2 Population (제주재래흑돼지와 Landrace, 교배집단 F2에서 척추의 수적 변이와 도체형질의 상관관계)

  • Cho, In-Cheol;Kim, Sang-Keum;Kim, Yoo-Kyung;Kang, Yong-Jun;Yang, Sung-Nyun;Park, Yong-Sang;Cho, Won-Mo;Cho, Sang-Rae;Kim, Nam-Young;Chae, Hyun-Seok;Seong, Pil-Nam;Park, Beom-Young;Lee, Jun-Heon;Lee, Jae-Bong;Yoo, Chae-Kyoung;Han, Sang-Hyun;Ko, Moon-Suck
    • Journal of Life Science
    • /
    • v.23 no.7
    • /
    • pp.854-862
    • /
    • 2013
  • The number of thoracic and lumbar vertebrae is known to be an unfixed trait among mammals. This study focused on the relationship between numerical variations of cervical (CER), thoracic (THO), and lumbar (LUM) vertebrae and the total number of vertebrae (TNV) and carcass traits in Jejunative black pigs (JBPs), Landrace pigs, and their intercrossed $F_2$ population. There were no numerical variations in CER vertebrae. On the other hand, the numbers of THO and LUM vertebrae and the TNV varied in all three populations. Of the traits investigated in the three populations, only the means${\pm}$SE of the LUM vertebrae did not show statistical significance (p>0.05). The carcass weights (CW), meat color (MC), marbling score (MS), backfat thickness (BFT), carcass length (CLE), THO vertebrae, and TNV all showed statistical significance (p<0.05). The JBP had 14-16 THO vertebrae, 5-6 LUM vertebrae, and 27-29 TNV. The Landrace pigs had 15-16 THO vertebrae, 5-7 LUM vertebrae, and 28-29 TNV. The $F_2$ population had 14-17 THO vertebrae, 5-7 LUM vertebrae, and 27-30 TNV. In the F2 population, increased numbers of THO vertebrae and TNV were associated with a significant increase in the CW, CLE, and BFT (p<0.05). In particular, the increase in the TNV was caused by an increase in the number of THO rather than LUM vertebrae. Although the animals with a greater number of THO and TNV had thicker backfat, they had a longer CLE and a heavier CW. Both these traits are economically more important than the level of backfat when determining the productivity level. These results suggest that genetic selection to increase the number of vertebrae, especially in Landrace pigs, JBPs, and their related populations, may be an excellent strategy for improving productivity.

Effects of the Energy Level of the Finisher Diet on Growth Efficiency and Carcass Traits of 'High'-Market Weight Pigs (비육후기 사료의 에너지 수준이 '고체중' 출하돈의 성장효율 및 도체특성에 미치는 영향)

  • Lee, C.Y.;Kim, M.H.;Ha, D.M.;Park, J.W.;Oh, G.Y.;Lee, J.R.;Ha, Y.J.;Park, B.C.
    • Journal of Animal Science and Technology
    • /
    • v.49 no.4
    • /
    • pp.471-480
    • /
    • 2007
  • The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of a low-energy finisher diet on feed and growth efficiencies and carcass traits of ‘high’-market weight (MW) finishing pigs and thereby to extrapolate optimal dietary energy level for the high-MW swine. A total of 160 (Yorkshire × Landrace) × Duroc-crossbred finishing gilts and barrows weighing approximately 90 kg were fed a low-energy (3,200 kcal DE/kg) diet (LE) or control (3,400 kcal) diet (CON) ad libitum in 16 pens up to 135- and 125-kg live weights, respectively, at which the animals were slaughtered and their carcasses were analyzed [2 (sex) × 2 (diet) factorial experimental design]. Average daily gain, average daily feed intake and feed efficiency did not differ between the two sex or diet groups. Backfat thickness was less (P<0.05) in LE (22.4 mm) than in CON group (24.3 mm) in gilts, but not in barrows (24.4 ± 0.4 mm). The percentage of C- & D-grade carcasses was over 90% because of the ‘over-weight’ problem in gilts, whereas in barrows, percentages of A plus B grades and C plus D grades were 79% and 21%, respectively. The yield percentage of each trimmed primal cut per total trimmed cuts (w/w) did not differ between the two sex or diet groups. Physicochemical characteristics of longissimus muscle including color (lightness and redness), pH, drip loss and chemical composition, which overally were within the range of normal carcass, also did not differ between the two sex or diet groups. In conclusion, both LE and CON are judged to be adequate for the high-MW swine during the latter finishing period. If fat deposition of a given herd of high-MW pigs needs to be suppressed by a dietary treatment, the energy content of the diet will have to be reduced to a level lower than 3,200 kcal DE/kg.

Development of an Automatic Liquid Feeder for Early Weaned Piglets (조기이유 자돈용 액상사료 자동급이기 개발)

  • 유용희;정일병;안정대;이덕수;강희설;최희철;전병수;박홍석
    • Journal of Animal Environmental Science
    • /
    • v.7 no.1
    • /
    • pp.1-12
    • /
    • 2001
  • This study was conducted to develope an automatic liquid feeder for early weaning piglets and to test the efficacy of the system. The liquid feeder consists of water heating and discharge unit, dry diet storing and discharge unit, mixing and discharge unit, mixed liquid feed-delivering unit, and the central control part which control each unit, feeding frequency and the amount of feeding. For investigating the possibility of practical use, a feeding trial was carried out using eighteen three way crossbred piglets weaned on 19 days of age for the experimental period of six weeks. Experimental diet was provided in liquid form using the automatic liquid feeder for the first three weeks and in dry form for the later three weeks. The water heating and discharge unit exactly supplied warm water by 27 $m\ell$/s, into the mixing unit. The dry diet storing and discharge unit supplied dry feed by 3.7g/s, into the mixing unit. Being compared with the standard growth rate suggested by NRC, average daily gain of the piglets during the first three weeks of liquid feeding was lower by 10%, while it was higher during three weeks of dry feeding and over the whole experimental period by 24 and 17%, respectively. Feed/gain was 1.09, 2.14 and 1.89 for the first 3 weeks, later 3 weeks, and whole period, respectively. Diarrhea was observed for three days from day 3 to day 7 after feeding liquid diet, but no pig died of it. In conclusion, a preliminary test for the newly developed an automatic liquid feeder using 19 days of age weaning piglets showed that the unit was successfully operated without any major problems. Piglets raised on a liquid diet through the unit developed grew less during the first three weeks, but their growth and feed intake were greatly improved thereafter, indicating the developed automatic liquid feeder may be practically used in swine industry.

  • PDF

Effects of the Low Plane of Nutrition on Carcass and Pork Quality of Finishing Pigs (저영양 비육돈 사양이 도체 및 돈육 품질에 미치는 영향)

  • Choi, Jung Seok;Yang, Bo-Seok;Kim, Myeong Hyeon;Lee, Kwang Ho;Jung, Hee Jun;Jin, Sang Keun;Song, Young-Min;Lee, Chul Young
    • ANNALS OF ANIMAL RESOURCE SCIENCES
    • /
    • v.29 no.4
    • /
    • pp.172-182
    • /
    • 2018
  • The present study was undertaken to examine if the carcass and pork quality of finishing pigs reared on a low plane of nutrition (LPN) could be improved compared with that of the pigs finished on a high plane of nutrition (HPN). Sixty-eight crossbred (LYD) barrows and 68 LYD gilts weighing approximately 50 kg were fed a diet containing 3.54 Mcal DE/kg with 1.00% lysine (HPN) or 3.02 Mcal DE/kg with 0.68% lysine (LPN) in eight pens up to approximately 120 kg and slaughtered. The belly, loin, ham, and Boston butt were cut out from a total of 20 carcasses, after which physicochemical and sensory quality attributes of the belly and the representative muscle of each of the loin, ham, and Boston butt were evaluated. The ADG, gain:feed ratio, and backfat thickness were less for LPN than for HPN (p<0.05). The cooking loss, hardness, and chewiness values for the Boston butt were less for LPN vs. HPN. In sensory evaluation for fresh meat (muscle), the subjective quality scores were greater for LPN vs. HPN in color, marbling, and acceptability for the loin, the muscle:fat balance score for the belly tending to be greater for LPN (p<0.10). In addition, LPN was superior to HPN in the flavor and juiciness in sensory evaluation for cooked ham. In conclusion, the present results suggest that the carcass and pork quality of finishing pigs could be improved with reduced growth performance by using LPN.

Effect of xylazine hydrochloride on histamine release (Xylazine이 histamine 유리에 미치는 영향)

  • 김영환;박준형
    • Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
    • /
    • v.25 no.1
    • /
    • pp.53-73
    • /
    • 2002
  • It has been reported that degranulation of mast cells in rats, rabbits and dog was observed after dosing xylazine hydrochloride(Xh) which has been widely used as sedative, analgesic and muscular relaxant. Therefore, this experiment was conducted to examine the relations between Xh and histamine release and to identify the action of ${\alpha}$-adrenoceptors which exists on the suface of mast cells. 1. The content of histamine within serum was measured with HPLC by performing the O-phthalaldehyde(OPA) fluorescent derivation. The pretreatment method had a little modification from the conventional method. The pretreament was carried out in the following method. 0.2$m\ell$ of serum and 1$m\ell$ of butanol were added to mixed together and then the liquid was centrifugally separated at 4$^{\circ}C$ and 2,000 rpm for 3 minutes. 0.4$m\ell$ of 0.1N HCl and 1.6$m\ell$ of heptane were added to 0.8$m\ell$ of supernatant taken from the liquid, and they were mixed together. This mixture was also centrifugally separated at 4$^{\circ}C$ and 2,000 rpm for 5 minutes. The supernatant was thrown away and the OPA fluorescent derivation was carried out with 0.2$m\ell$ of the lower liquid then, 5 minutes after mixing 400${\mu}\ell$ of 0.1N HCl, 120${\mu}\ell$ of 1N NaOH and 40${\mu}\ell$ of 0.1% OPA in the 0.2$m\ell$ of the lower liquid,120${\mu}\ell$ of 3.57N H$_3$PO$_4$ was added to the mixed liquid, and the liquid, was mixed again and syringe-filtered. Then, the measurement was done with HPLC in the 30 : 70(ν/ν) ratio of 0.004M KH$_2$PO$_4$: CH$_3$CN, flow rate of 1.0$m\ell$/min., and a wavelength of λex= 350nm and λem=444nm at the column temperature of 27$^{\circ}C$, using the fluorescence detector. 2. The content of histamine in each laboratory animal appeared to be higher in such an order as rabbit, rat, guinea pig, dog, Korean indigenous goat, swine, Korean indigenous cattle, Holstein, and mouse, of which the individual mean values${\pm}$standard deviation were 2.0668 ${\pm}$ 0.6049. 0.4999 ${\pm}$ 0.2278, 0.4241 ${\pm}$ 0.1974, 0.1054 ${\pm}$ 0.0556, 0.1028 ${\pm}$ 0.0276, 0.0972 ${\pm}$ 0.0513, 0.0872 ${\pm}$ 0.0373, 0.0717 ${\pm}$ 0.0379, and 0.0706 ${\pm}$ 0.0366, respectively. 3. The content of histamine was measured at the moments of 15-, 30-, 60-, 120-minutes after inoamuscular injection of 20mg/100kg Xh into two to 4 years old Holstein weighing 600∼700kg. The result showed that there was a significant increase at the times of 30- and 90-minutes after injection(p<0.05). 4. Intramuscular injection of 3mg/10kg Xh was given to crossbred pug dogs weighing 2.5∼4.3kg. The content of histamine was measured at the times of 30-, 60-, 90- and 120-minutes after injection. The result revealed that there was a significant increase at the times of 60-and 90-minutes after injection(p<0.05). 5. Intramuscular injection of 10mg/$m\ell$∼25mg/$m\ell$ Xh in concentration of 0.1$m\ell$ was applied to Korean indigenous goat over 5 months old. Then, the content of histamine was measured at the times of 15-, 30-, 60- and 90-minutes after injection. A significant increase was shown at the times of 30- and 60-minutes after injection(p<0.05). 6. The content of histamine was measured at the moments of 30- and 60-minutes after intramuscular injection of 0.1-0.2$m\ell$ Xh (20mg/$m\ell$) into male rabbits weighting 2.5-4kg. A significant increase was found at the moment of 60 minutes after injection(p<0.001). 7. After administering Xh to the mast cell taken from the abdominal cavity of mouse, the content of histamine was measured. The result showed that the higher the concentration, the more significantly the content of histamine was increased(p<0.05). 8. Compound 48/80 was administered in concentration of 5$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ and 10$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ to the mast cell picked from the abdominal cavity of mouse. The result showed that there was a significant increase in the content of histamine in case of the concentration of 10$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$(p<0.05). It was found to be about 10,000 to 500,000 times stronger than the Xh. 9. After premedication of 1mg/kg of yohimbine hydrochloride as ${\alpha}$$_2$-adrenergic antagonist to rabbits, the Xh was administered to them. The result was that the value of histamine within serum was decreased significantly(p<0.001). 10. After premeditation of 1mg/kg of prazosin hydrochloride as ${\alpha}$$_1$-adrenergic antagonist to rabbits, the Xh was administered to them. It was found that the value of histamine within serum was decreased significantly(p<0.005). 11, Prazosin hydrochloride and yohimbine hydrochloride as ${\alpha}$$_1$-adrenergic antagonist, respectively, and ${\alpha}$$_2$-adrenergic antagonist were administerd. In this case, the value of histamine within serum was decreased significantly(p<0.0001). As the results, when the Xh is administered to various kinds of animals, the amount of histamine release within serum is increased. In view of the results so far achieved, it is concluded that Xh acted on both a$_1$-adrenoreceptor and ${\alpha}$$_2$-adrenoreceptor induces the degranulation of mast cell.

Growth Efficiency, Carcass Quality Characteristics and Profitability of 'High'-Market Weight Pigs ('고체중' 출하돈의 성장효율, 도체 품질 특성 및 수익성)

  • Park, M.J.;Ha, D.M.;Shin, H.W.;Lee, S.H.;Kim, W.K.;Ha, S.H.;Yang, H.S.;Jeong, J.Y.;Joo, S.T.;Lee, C.Y.
    • Journal of Animal Science and Technology
    • /
    • v.49 no.4
    • /
    • pp.459-470
    • /
    • 2007
  • Domestically, finishing pigs are marketed at 110 kg on an average. However, it is thought to be feasible to increase the market weight to 120kg or greater without decreasing the carcass quality, because most domestic pigs for pork production have descended from lean-type lineages. The present study was undertaken to investigate the growth efficiency and profitability of ‘high’-market wt pigs and the physicochemical characteristics and consumers' acceptability of the high-wt carcass. A total of 96 (Yorkshire × Landrace) × Duroc-crossbred gilts and barrows were fed a finisher diet ad laibtum in 16 pens beginning from 90-kg BW, after which the animals were slaughtered at 110kg (control) or ‘high’ market wt (135 and 125kg in gilts & barrows, respectively) and their carcasses were analyzed. Average daily gain and gain:feed did not differ between the two sex or market wt groups, whereas average daily feed intake was greater in the barrow and high market wt groups than in the gilt and 110-kg market wt groups, respectively(P<0.01). Backfat thickness of the high-market wt gilts and barrows corrected for 135 and 125-kg live wt, which were 23.7 and 22.5 mm, respectively, were greater (P<0.01) than their corresponding 110-kg counterparts(19.7 & 21.1 mm). Percentages of the trimmed primal cuts per total trimmed lean (w/w), except for that of loin, differed statistically (P<0.05) between two sex or market wt groups, but their numerical differences were rather small. Crude protein content of the loin was greater in the high vs. 110-kg market group (P<0.01), but crude fat and moisture contents and other physicochemical characteristics including the color of this primal cut were not different between the two sexes or market weights. Aroma, marbling and overall acceptability scores were greater in the high vs. 110-kg market wt group in sensory evaluation for fresh loin (P<0.01); however, overall acceptabilities for cooked loin, belly and ham were not different between the two market wt groups. Marginal profits of the 135- and 125-kg high-market wt gilt and barrow relative to their corresponding 110-kg ones were approximately -35,000 and 3,500 wons per head under the current carcass grading standard and price. However, if it had not been for the upper wt limits for the A- and B-grade carcasses, marginal profits of the high market wt gilt and barrow would have amounted to 22,000 and 11,000 wons per head, respectively. In summary, 120~125-kg market pigs are likely to meet the consumers' preference better than the 110-kg ones and also bring a profit equal to or slightly greater than that of the latter even under the current carcass grading standard. Moreover, if only the upper wt limits of the A- & B-grade carcasses were removed or increased to accommodate the high-wt carcass, the optimum market weights for the gilt and barrow would fall upon their target weights of the present study, i.e. 135 and 125 kg, respectively.