Investigating the Features of PDO Green Hams during Salting: Insights for New Markers and Genomic Regions in Commercial Hybrid Pigs

SIMPLE SUMMARY: In recent years, the meat industry is looking with increased interest at the implementation of non-invasive new tools for predicting the final quality of dry-cured hams and monitoring ham aging. The selection of raw meat and the control of the salting procedure to predict the quality of dry-cured hams are of primary importance for meat processors. The identification of genetic markers associated with ham traits and related to different aptitudes of the thighs towards salting phases and weight losses is a primary goal for the Italian pig production chain. This paper addresses the need for investigating the associations between genomic markers and ham traits obtained through the application of non-invasive technologies for monitoring hams before and during the salting process. To our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the markers and genes associated with ham traits obtained through the use of Ham Inspector(TM) apparatus. ABSTRACT: Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) dry-cured hams production is greatly dependent on raw meat quality. This study was performed to identify genetic markers associated with the quality of dry-cured ham. Carcass traits of 229 heavy pigs belonging to three commercial genetic lines were registered (weight, EUROP classification). Phenotypic traits (Semimembranosus muscle ultimate pH, ham weight and lean meat content, adsorbed salt) of the corresponding thighs, undergone PDO ham process in three different plants, were measured, using a fast and non-invasive technology. Green ham weight and lean meat percentage influenced the estimated salt content and the weight loss during salting, even if the processing plant greatly affected the variability of the measured ham traits. The genomic data were obtained with the GeneSeek Genomic Profiler (GGP) 70k HD Porcine Array, using the slaughter day and the sex of the animals in the statistical analyses. The phenotypic traits were associated with the genotypes through GenAbel software. The results showed that 18 SNPs located on nine porcine chromosomes were found to be associated with nine phenotypic traits, mainly related to ham weight loss during salting. New associations were found between markers in the genes Neural Precursor Cell Expressed Developmentally Down-Regulated 9 (NEDD9, SSC7), T-Cell Lymphoma Invasion and Metastasis 2 (TIAM2, SSC1), and the ham quality traits. After validation, these SNPs may be useful to improve the quality of thighs for the production of PDO dry-cured hams.