Abstract
The dry-cured necks and hams produced from the meat of Złotnicka Spotted (ZS) pigs and their crossbreds with Duroc and Polish Large White, were tested. The slaughter value of the fatteners was determined (lean meat content, backfat thickness, area of the loin cross-section). The water, fat, protein and NaCl content was established in the final products. The meat colour (L* a* b*) and pH were measured. The final products were subjected to sensory evaluation and ranked on the scale of 1-5 points. Crossing the Złotnicka Spotted with the PLW resulted in higher lean meat content by approx. 4 percentage points (p.p.) and in thinner back fat thickness by 0.6 cm. Dry-cured ham produced from the meat of different fattener groups did not differ significantly in terms of physico-chemical traits as well as sensory traits. The sensory characteristics of both ham and neck received high scores (on average above 4.5 points). It was found that the tested products differed in terms of chemical content. The dry-cured necks contained approx. 19.45% of fat in the group of the ZS × PLW crossbreds whereas in other groups this figure was 2 to 6 p.p. higher. The dry-cured ham that was produced was based on the meat of purebred pigs containing 3 to 4.6 p.p. less fat compared to the crossbreds with the Duroc. The research proved that crossing the ZS with PLW and Duroc did not make the quality of the dry-cured products deteriorate.