The graph on the side shows the progressive reduction of fats in Italian pigs in the second half of the last century. In particular, from the use of so-called heavy breeds we have gone on to select ever leaner (light) pigs.
While a light pig is slaughtered when it reaches 90-110 kg of live weight, a heavy pig continues to fatten up to a weight of 150-170kg. There is also a third production direction, that of the so-called intermediate pigs, slaughtered at a weight of 120-140kg.
Of the three types, heavy pork is a specifically Italian reality, which is justified by the production of typical aged cured ham (PDO ham, like Parma or San Daniele ham) and other seasoned products. The light pig is instead destined to the consumption of fresh pork and for this reason it has been the subject of hyper-productive genetic selections with a high percentage of lean cuts.
However, in the last decades a gradual tendency to increase the percentage of lean meat has also been observed in the genotypes used for the production of heavy pigs.
In addition to genetic selection, the improvement of the pig lipid profile was also obtained thanks to the evolution of breeding techniques, intervening on the feeding and on the level of sedentary nature of the animal
