The relationship of iodine value with pork carcass weight and composition

This study examined the relationship of iodine value (IV) with carcass weight, fat depth, muscle depth, and predicted lean yield from 37 488 pork carcasses. Five IV categories were formed, which were defined as low (<64.99), medium-low (65.00-69.99), medium (70.00-74.99), medium-high (75.00-79.99), and high (>80.00). Correlation analysis indicated IV was weakly correlated (r <= 0.26; P < 0.05) with all carcass traits; however, the categorical analysis revealed that greater IV was associated with heavier weight and leaner carcasses. Segregation systems of pork carcasses based on IV should consider the relationships of IV with other carcass parameters before implementation.