Single marker and haplotype-based GWAS for meat quality and carcass traits in Italian heavy pigs.

The selection and breeding programs of Italian heavy pig breeds have as their main objective the improvement of meat quality and carcass traits useful to meet the needs of the protected designation of origin dry-cured ham industry. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between genetic variants and several meat and carcass traits (e.g., pH, color, water holding capacity, intermuscular and intramuscular fat content, the weight of carcass cuts, back fat thickness, lean meat content, and carcass grading parameters) in a total of ~1300 pigs of the Italian Large White and Italian Duroc breeds genotyped with an SNP array. After assessing phenotypic correlations, single marker and haplotype-based genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were performed. Several genomic regions associated with the investigated parameters were identified, pointing out a few candidate genes. The results will be used to better understand the genetic components of relevant traits useful to address the selection programs of Italian heavy pigs. Acknowledgments: Funded by the Programma di Sviluppo Rurale Nazionale (PSRN) SUIS-2, co-funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development of the European Union and by the MASAF; and by the European Union – NextGenerationEU under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) – HamCapture, proposal code 202238NP9N – CUP J53D23009570001.