New genomic tools may be able to measure traits like pork quality and other heritable traits. Classical genetic evaluation has previously been used which involves breeding the best of the herd. Genomics is more accurate and can be used in traits that are hard to evaluate, such as pork quality which could only be measured on the carcass. Now a simple DNA test can help evaluate these traits as soon as the animal is born. Collaboration between groups is important as large numbers of samples from pigs improve the accuracy of the test by providing more available data. There is a project at the University of Guelph that is currently collecting data for genomics and created genomic evaluations and a database to continually add data to. One of the challeneges of these tests are the price, but price varies depending on what test is used. Pork quality traits such as marbling, colour, meat tenderness and more can all be selected for using genomics.
Building Better Bacon – Genomics Tools for Pork Quality (full article)
