There were no significant (p < 0.05) differences in the proportion of flare fat between IM and FE. CM had the highest percentage of flare fat and EM the lowest percentage.
There was a significant overall effect of treatment on all ham variables. The proportion of ham represented by muscle was highest in EM and lowest in CM (p < 0.05) but there was no significant difference between FE and IM. Similarly, the proportion of the ham represented by subcutaneous fat was lowest in EM and highest in CM (p < 0.05) but there was no significant difference between FE and IM. Intermuscular fat in the ham was higher in CM and IM (p < 0.05) than in FE and EM. The proportion of carcass represented by bone was higher in EM than CM, IM and FE (p < 0.05). The muscle-to-bone ratio in the ham is an important parameter, since it is indicative of the value of the ham. This ratio was highest in FE (8.96) and lowest in EM (8.26), while CM and IM were intermediate (8.46 and 8.70, respectively).
The proportion of carcass represented by loin was higher in CM (p < 0.05) than in other treatment groups, but there were no significant difference between CM and IM in subcutaneous fat of the loin and defatted loin.