Abstract
The activities of CPK, ALD and LDHt, and LDH isozyme pattern in serum were determined in 76 growing and fattening Japanese Landrace pigs under resting condition. The experimental animals were bled for the muscle cell enzyme determination at the age of 139.7±10.5days and 61 pigs were slaughtered at 90kg of body weight to obtain carcass characters and the physical properties of meat at the age of 150.8±10.2 days. Ten animals having extremely high activities of CPK, ALD and LDHt, and similarly high percentage of LDH5 isozyme were recognized. Higher relative incidence of extremely disadvantageous values of water-holding capacity, toughness and Hunter's L value of meat was observed in such animals than in the animals of normal enayme activities. Statistically significant but low correlation coefficients were reconfirmed between the activity of CPK and the percentage of LDH5, and water-holding capacity and toughness of meat. Also, such correlation coefficients were found between LDHt and LDH5, and a meat character index constructed by the standardized deviation of the three physical properties. The role of the muscle cell enzyme activities in serum of the resting animals was discussed as an indicator for detecting stress-susceptible pigs being prone to produce the meat of disadvantageous physical properties.
