Is the European pig carcase classification grid still a valid method to select green hams for PDO circuit?

The aim of the present work was to collect information at the slaughterhouse on the relationship between carcase composition (lean meat content assessed according to the EUROP classification grid) and the quality of the green hams. Quality was assessed based on indicators included in the product specifications for Parma ham: trimmed weight, thickness of the fat layer (measured vertically at the head of the femur -best end-), presence of fat at the ‘coronet’ (visually assessed), iodine number. The research included 11 slaughter plants. In each plant, 10 slaughtering batches and about 20 green hams per batch were selected. All pigs assessed had a carcase weighing more than 110 kg, in agreement with the definition of heavy pig. Overall, 2352 green hams were evaluated. At least 25% of the selected green hams in each batch derived from a carcase classified as E in the EUROP grid (F-o-M classification). Out of them, 35.7% belonged to class E, 33.0% U, 23.3% R, 6.6% O, and 1.4% P. In every slaughtering batch, 8 samples of subcutaneous fat (including both inner and outer fat layer) were collected, of which 4 from green hams belonging to the E class and 4 from green hams belonging to the other classes (U, R, O). Iodine number analysis is presently in progress, in order to assess if the green hams classified as E are more frequently non-compliant with Parma ham production rules compared to the green hams belonging to the other classes (U, R, O). It is worth remembering that, according to Parma ham production specifications, iodine number must be lower than 70. As concerns the green hams classified as E, 73.7% of the hams weighed between 13 and 16 kg (which is the preferred weight class for Parma ham) whereas 11.5% had a weight below 13 kg and 14.8% weighed above 16 kg. Based on these preliminary results, the majority of the raw hams classified as E are compliant to Parma ham production rules (at least 80% for fat thickness; 97.6% for fat at the ‘coronet’).