Marbling is the visible fat within the boundaries of the muscle. NPPC has color charts illustrating the five degrees of marbling. Pork without marbling may be less flavorful and less juicy and is more susceptible to dryness when abused with high broiling temperatures. At the other extreme, large quantities of marbling do not make pork proportionately more palatable but do supply excess calories from fat. D. Other tissue conditions.
Composition refers to the proportionate quantity of lean pork or muscle in a carcass.
Carcasses should have as much muscle and as little fat, bone and skin as biologically possible without jeopardizing quality and live production factors. When comparing carcasses or measuring the production efficiency of a hog, it would be ideal to determine the proportion of muscle by dissection and chemical analysis. To date, however, this is impractical, so simpler and less accurate methods are used to estimate composition. Each of the following indicators is recommended. Cut the untrimmed carcass perpendicular to the backbone between the 10th and 11th ribs to expose the loin surface.