Improving Pork Fat Quality

       The swine industry has focused genetic selection pressure on the production of pork with increased lean and decreased fat content. While successful, the composition change has resulted in a practical problem associated with subsequent processing of thin/soft pork bellies into bacon. A recent pork audit estimated that ~6% of bellies are too thin to slice, resulting in an economic loss of about 42 million dollars per year. The problem of soft bellies is exacerbated by the feeding of unsaturated fat to swine in the late grower-finisher phase of production. We have examined dietary factors that can be exploited to increase the saturation of pork belly fat and thus increase its firmness for subsequent processing. Specifically, the feeding of naturally saturated fats such as tallow, chemically-hydrogenated fats and conjugated linoleic acid have been research and results published in the scientific literature. Several large corporate swine producers (especially in the Southeastern US) have modified their feeding practices in accordance with the results from our research. Many have purchased analytical equipment so they can monitor pork fatty acid composition so as to better manage the problem.