Consumers' expectations and liking of traditional and innovative pork products from European autochthonous pig breeds.

The aim of the study was to ascertain the acceptability of Traditional (T) and Innovative (IT) pork products by European consumers considering also the influence of the sensory properties. The tests were performed in Barcelona, Bologna, Toulouse and Zagreb, with products from autochthonous pig breeds Porc Negre Mallorquí (patties), Cinta Senese (dry-fermented sausages), Gascon-Noir de Bigorre (dry-cured hams) and Turopolje (dry-cured hams), respectively. The methodological approach relied on the expectancy-disconfirmation model and the assimilation theory (blind, expected and informed tests).

Effects of breed-production system on collagen, textural, and sensory traits of 10 European beef cattle breeds.

Unlabelled: In the current study the collagen, texture, and sensory characteristics of meat from 712 yearling males of 10 local Spanish and French beef breeds raised in their typical production systems were described. The breed-production system affected collagen and texture variables but affected sensory variables only slightly. There was a large amount of intra breed-production system variation for all the variables.

Effect of tasting and information on consumer opinion about pig castration.

Our research explored the relative importance of pig castration amongst other aspects of animal welfare, and the potential impact of information and sensory experiences on European Union (EU) consumers' preferences. The EU is considering a future ban on surgical pig castration by 2018 which may affect markets and consumers' preferences. We carried out an empirical study using consumer-level data obtained from questionnaires completed in a controlled environment by a total of 825 consumers.

Effect of selection for growth rate on the ageing of myofibrils, meat texture properties and the muscle proteolytic potential of m. longissimus in rabbits.

The effect of selection for growth rate on the degradation of the myofibrillar proteins and on meat texture properties of rabbit longissimus muscle at two ageing times (1 and 7 days) was studied as well as its effect on the proteolytic potential of the muscle. Two groups of contemporary animals (20 rabbits per group), one selected for growth rate (S) for 14 generations and the other unselected control group (C) were compared. The control group was formed from the offspring of the embryos belonging to the 7th generation and was compared with selected animals belonging to 21st generation.