Abstract #T251

# T251
Correlation between the guinea pig tissue composition and carcass measurements.
Iván Barba1, Lida Barba*1,2, César Hernández1, Julio Palmay1, Nibaldo Rodríguez2, Davinia Sánchez Macías1, 1Department of Agroindustrial Engineering. Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo, Riobamba, Chimborazo, Ecuador, 2School of Informatics Engineering. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.

Combining carcass measurements, such as weights, conformation and fat classes and carcass dimensions would lead to moderate predictions of muscle, fat or bone content in carcass. A correlation analysis of these parameters is necessary to build up potential prediction equations. This study was performed to establish correlations between guinea pig carcass composition and measurements. The carcasses of 40 guinea pigs, males and females of 3 and 12 mo age (fattening and discarded animals, respectively) with similar management previous to slaughter were used. Seventeen measurements consistent in weight, yield, and the length of carcass pieces were analyzed to identify the major correlation with the 9 variables of tissue composition. The tissue composition is represented as subcutaneous fat (SF), intermuscular fat (IF), muscle (M), bone (B), skin (S), waste (W), and 3 combined variables SF-IF, B-W, and muscle plus freeze loss (M-FL). In all the cases, an important positive correlation with live weight at slaughter (LWS), empty body weight (EBW), hot carcass weight (HCW), and cold carcass weight (CCW) was found. The variables related to fat were highly correlated with the measurement perirenal and pelvic fat (PPF). The linear measurements internal carcass length (L), external carcass length (ECL), lumbar circumference (LC), and thorax circumference (ThC) showed high correlation with the tissue composition variables that are not related to fat. The major correlation was found in the relation M-LWS, M-EBW, M-HCW, M-CCW with a Pearson Coefficient of R = 95%, followed by the relation S-LWS, S-EBW, S-HCW, S-CCW with R = 94%. Some measurements that are not correlated with any variable are hid limb length (F), buttock width (BW), and thorax width (ThW).

Key Words: guinea pig, carcass composition, correlation