Abstract: The volatile compounds in longissimus dorsi muscles from 6 month-old Tibetan miniature pigs raised in feedlot with cereal and on natural pasture from Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu province were investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Feedlot-raised and pasture-raised Tibetan miniature pigs mostly varied in their aldehyde contents (38.33% and 25.19%, respectively). Methylthiopropanal (meaty flavor) and benzothiazole (gravy flavor) that can be derived from Mailard reaction in feedlot-raised pork were 23% and 122% more than that in pasture-raised pork, respectively. Lipid oxidation products showed a significant increase in feedlot-raised pork as compared with their pasture-raised pork (P < 0.05), and a significant difference in the types of lipid oxidation products was also found. Pasture-raised pork exhibited significantly higher terpene content than feedlot-raised pork (P < 0.05). From these results, we concluded that raising methods can affect volatile compounds in pork from Tibetan miniature pig and therefore might affect pork flavor.

Key words: Tibetan miniature pig, pork, feedlot, pasture, volatiles, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)