Table 5. Effects of the slaughter weight of finishing pigs on sensory attributes of their muscles¹⁾

Item	Av (115 kg)		Hi (125 kg)		XHi (135 kg)		SEM	p-value
Item	B	G	B	G	B	G	SEM	SW	S	SW×S
Fresh muscle
Longissimus dorsimuscle
Color	6.60	6.38	6.50	6.83	6.69	6.48	0.17	0.58	0.82	0.19
Aroma	6.93	6.83	6.60	6.79	6.74	6.60	0.09	0.04	0.83	0.14
Odor	6.93	6.88	6.69	6.79	6.62	6.74	0.06	< 0.01	0.23	0.28
Drip loss²⁾	6.93	6.86	6.81	6.76	6.76	6.71	0.07	0.07	0.31	0.98
Marbling	6.79	6.76	6.76	6.67	6.83	6.60	0.19	0.94	0.45	0.85
Acceptability	6.93	6.71	6.52	6.79	6.74	6.62	0.12	0.36	0.82	0.15
Semimembranosus muscle
Color	6.48	6.71	6.48	6.67	6.57	6.41	0.16	0.78	0.50	0.39
Aroma	6.62	6.71	6.57	6.81	6.55	6.50	0.08	0.08	0.14	0.19
Odor	6.71	6.79	6.60	6.81	6.45	6.55	0.09	0.02	0.09	0.69
Drip loss	6.43	6.67	6.57	6.86	6.81	6.83	0.11	0.06	0.05	0.47
Marbling	6.71	6.86	6.50	6.76	6.62	6.50	0.15	0.33	0.45	0.45
Acceptability	6.52^ab	6.83^a	6.41^b	6.76^a	6.57^ab	6.40^b	0.11	0.23	0.07	0.04
Cooked muscle
Longissimus dorsimuscle
Color	6.62	6.64	6.86	6.79	6.76	6.86	0.04	< 0.01	0.65	0.16
Aroma	6.74	6.64	6.67	6.69	6.67	6.69	0.05	0.96	0.70	0.41
Flavor	6.93	6.76	6.81	6.74	6.90	6.69	0.09	0.72	0.05	0.72
Juiciness	6.24^b	6.33^ab	6.24^b	6.71^a	6.76^a	6.33^ab	0.15	0.22	0.70	0.02
Tenderness	6.86	6.83	6.38	6.93	6.83	6.71	0.22	0.68	0.46	0.27
Acceptability	6.60	6.74	6.36	6.81	6.81	6.60	0.16	0.77	0.36	0.15
Semimembranosus muscle
Color	6.74	6.69	6.67	6.74	6.67	6.71	0.06	0.92	0.63	0.58
Aroma	6.67	6.62	6.60	6.42	6.50	6.62	0.06	0.32	0.39	0.34
Flavor	6.69	6.79	6.81	6.67	6.76	6.79	0.09	0.90	0.91	0.39
Juiciness	6.38	6.33	6.48	6.31	6.40	6.36	0.12	0.95	0.36	0.81
Tenderness	6.48	6.79	6.86	6.79	6.74	6.60	0.16	0.45	0.81	0.32
Acceptability	6.45	6.42	6.76	6.62	6.71	6.62	0.09	0.28	0.84	0.18

Each sensory attribute was scored by seven trained panelists according to a 9-point hedonic scale ranging from 1 for the worst/least to 9 for the best/most, with an exception for drip. Data are means of six animals in each SW × S combination.
Point scores 1 and 9 correspond to the most and least, respectively.
Means in a same row with no common superscript differ (p < 0.05).
Av, average; Hi, high; XHi, extra-high; B, barrow; G, gilt; SW, slaughter weight; S, sex.