Genetic parameter estimation for sensory traits in longissimus muscle and their association with pH and intramuscular fat in pork chops

Consumers’ willingness to pay a premium when purchasing pork chops is driven by eating satisfaction. Genetic parameters for sensory traits and their associations with pH and intramuscular fat were estimated in pork chops. A univariate animal model was used to estimate the heritability of the sensory traits in ASReml using pedigree information, while phenotypic and genetic correlations were estimated using a bivariate animal model. Low heritability (h2 < 0.2) was found for all measured sensory traits, and genetic correlations estimated between sensory traits and pH were smaller than that estimated between intramuscular fat and sensory traits. Positive genetic correlations of sensory measurements with pH and intramuscular fat were found, indicating that selection to increase intramuscular pH and fat can help to increase sensory scores. However, as the genetic correlations were low to moderate, increase in pork sensory scores through selection for loin pH and intramuscular fat content would be slow, and because of the small sample size, the results should be interpreted with caution.