Review

The quality traits of pork belly and impact factors of quality

Kyung Jo1, Seonmin Lee1, Seul-Ki-Chan Jeong1, Hayeon Jeon1, Hyeun Bum Kim2, Pil Nam Seong3, Samooel Jung1,*
Author Information & Copyright
1Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea.
2Department of Animal Resources Science, Dankook University, Cheonan 16890, Korea.
3National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration, Wanju 55365, Korea.
*Corresponding Author: Samooel Jung. E-mail: samooel@cnu.ac.kr.

© Copyright 2025 Korean Society for Food Science of Animal Resources. This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Received: Nov 18, 2024 ; Revised: Jan 13, 2025 ; Accepted: Feb 02, 2025

Published Online: Feb 12, 2025

Abstract

Pork belly is one of the most valuable primal cuts of pork with high preferences. Although meat quality is becoming increasingly important, defining pork belly quality is challenging owing to the structure and diversity of the preferred characteristics. This study identified the factors influencing pork belly quality traits through a literature review. In total, 55 articles related to pork belly quality were selected and summarized. The quality traits of pork belly are considered to be various factors, including belly yield (weight, length, thickness, etc.), firmness, fatty acid composition, color, and sensory properties. The quality of pork belly is influenced by various factors, such as sex, genetic parameters, carcass weight, and diet. A more diverse approach is required to comprehensively understand the quality traits and impact factors of pork bellies.

Keywords: pork; pork belly; quality; endogenous factor; exogenous factor