The present study was aimed at determining walking speed, the animal's durability for walking, and the effect of walking on the general physiological response as preliminary knowledge for future work relating to walking as exercise and the improvement of meat quality. Nine fattening crossbred swine (4, 5 and 6 months of age, respectively 3 heads) were used. The walking course was in the piggery and course size was follows; long side: 20m, short side: 10m, one lap: 60m. Walking exercise was conducted by the driving of each animal. Walking styles were classified as walk, gallop, and run and the speed of each style was: walk, 3.5-3.8km/hr; gallop, 7.4-9.7km/hr; run, 12.5-14.5km/hr. Walking durability varied with age: 4 months of age it was 1, 100m, at 5 months 1, 500m and at 6 months 1, 840m. There was no difference in the heart rate, respiratory rate or rectal temperature of swine which walked more than 300-600m. The swine used were given a sudden command to walk at our instructions, because they were generally maintained in a piggery. The present study suggested that a 1.5km walk at 4km/hr speed is a moderate exercise for young fattening swine.

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In order to investigate the influence of fattening periods caused by restricted feeding, site of loin and aging of meat after slaughter on the meat quality of pigs, eighteen three-way-crossbred pigs (LWD: 9 barrows and 9 gilts) were used in this experiment. The age at 105kg body weight of control group was 176.2 days. On the other hand, the ages at 105kg body weight of experimental group 1 (80% restricted feeding of full feeding) and group 2 (60% restricted feeding of full feeding) were 205 days and 233.7 days respectively and these days of age were significantly longer than control. The results obtained by analysis of meat quality traits of loin were as follows. 1) Meat color and water holding capacity were not affected by extending the fattening period. But meat tenderness in experimental group 2 was significantly higher than control group. The values of tenderness of control group, experimental group 1 and experimental group 2 were 85.5kgw/cm², 92.4kgw/cm² and 106.6kgw/cm², respectively. 2) Although there was no difference in cooking loss between sites of loin, significant difference in tenderness was detected between sites of loin. Front site of loin was softer in tenderness than that of rear and middle parts (front site: 71.91gw/cm², middle site: 89.5kgw/cm², rear site: 84.6kgw/cm²). 3) The pH, intramuscular water and fat of loin were not affected by aging of meat (stocked at 4°C for 6 days), but the tenderness (fresh meat: 93.1kgw/cm², ageing meat: 84.1kgw/cm²) and brittleness (fresh: 1.39, ageing: 1.52) were affected by aging of meat. There was no statistical significant interaction in tenderness of meat between fattening period by ageing. It was concluded that fattening period, site of loin and aging affected the meat tenderness.

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