# An Exploratory Study on Farming System and Meat Quality of Black Alpine Pig

## TL;DR

This study explores the traditional farming of Black Alpine pigs in Northern Italy and finds their meat has unique qualities due to their natural diet and environment.

## Contribution

The paper provides the first characterization of the Black Alpine pig's farming system and meat quality under real-world conditions.

## Key findings

- Black Alpine pigs have a firm, dark-red meat with high polyunsaturated fatty acids.
- Their meat quality is influenced by diet, genetics, and environment.
- Traditional farming supports biodiversity and produces unique meat traits.

## Abstract

This work describes the traditional way of raising the Black Alpine pig, a local mountain pig from Northern Italy, and examines the quality of its meat. Six small farms were monitored to record animal growth, reproduction, and farm conditions. Meat and fat samples were collected from these farms and compared with those from ordinary commercial pork. The Black Alpine pigs were raised mostly outdoors, feeding on grass, roots, and local plants, and showed strong adaptation to their mountain environment. Their meat was darker red, firmer, and contained more unsaturated fats than commercial pork. These characteristics reflect the influence of the animals’ diet, their genetics, and the natural environment in which they live. These results highlight how preserving traditional mountain farming not only supports animal welfare and local culture but also helps maintain biodiversity and produces meat with unique quality traits.

This study aimed to provide the first characterization of the traditional farming systems and meat quality traits of the Black Alpine pig (BAP), an ecotype under recovery originating in the Italian Central Alps, reared under real, actual conditions. Productive and reproductive data were collected through on-farm visits from six BAP farms located in Northern Italy. Longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle and backfat samples from BAPs were collected in the same farms and analyzed for color, tenderness, proximate composition, and fatty acid profile. For exploratory purposes and to provide a descriptive benchmark of commercial pork (CP) quality, loin samples were purchased from the retail market. PLS-DA served as a discriminant model between BAP and CP meat samples on a multivariate data matrix. BAP farming was characterized as an en plein air system with high outdoor access and reliance on natural vegetation. BAPs showed high rusticity and slow growth. The LD muscle was characterized by a firm texture, an intense dark-red color, and a high proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids, reflecting traditional rustic meat features associated with the interaction between dietary, environmental, and genetic factors. Our preliminary results provided novel insights into BAP farming practices and meat quality, supporting the maintenance of this genetic resource through traditional farming and the preservation of biodiversity in alpine livestock, offering exploratory evidence of the current BAP farming system.