Introduction
Meat quality is affected by a number of factors such as environment, nutrition and genetics. The Halothane
and RN genes impact animal performance, carcass composition and pork quality. The Halothane gene
offers producers a rapid way of producing lean, heavily muscled market hogs that will receive higher packer
premiums. However, Halothane reactor and carrier animals have poorer meat quality and processing
characteristics, when compared to Halothane negative pigs. The meat quality problems associated with the
Halothane gene result from a high incidence of the pale, soft, exudative (PSE) condition. Animals that carry
the dominant allele of the Rendement Napole gene (RN-
) have been found to produce paler meat with
reduced water holding capacity and processing yields. However, RN-
carriers have also been found to
have higher carcass lean meat percentages and lower shear force values, indicating more tender meat.
Thus, both the Halothane and RN genes independently have both negative and positive effects on carcass
and meat quality and because of their different modes of action may have a greater combined effect on meat
quality. However, there have been no studies that have characterized the impact of both genes in
combination. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the effects of and potential interactions
between the Halothane and Rendement Napole genes on carcass and meat quality characteristics in pigs.