Transportation and slaughter of pigs
The groups were transported to an abattoir on trucks in
separate pens. The distance was 54 km and the transportation
lasted approximately 45 min. The groups were also kept in separate
pens with free access to fresh water in the lairage. The
pigs were brought group–wise into the gas stunning chamber
(Butina, Holbeak, Denmark). The gas mixture contained 90%
CO2 and the animals stayed in the chamber for 2.5 to 3 min,
followed by immediate exsanguination. The pigs were slaughtered
and chilled according to standard procedures. The carcasses were
stored at 4 °C for 3 d before being fabricated into primal cuts.