Seasonal Effects on the Performance of Finishing Pigs' Carcass and Meat Quality in Indoor Environments.

Most retailers in EU countries pay pig breeders for their animals' lean meat percentage, which does not align fully with measures of pork quality (such as colour). In this study, we investigated the effects of season (summer vs. autumn) on finishing pigs' performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality parameters in 24 slaughter pigs. Growing performance traits (live weights, average daily weight gain), slaughter values (warm and cold carcass weights, trunk length, fat thickness) and meat quality parameters (pH at 45 min and 24 h postmortem, colour, drip loss, thawing loss, cooking loss, shear force, and meat composition) were recorded. Seasonal differences were more pronounced for the initial age, the number of days in the growing-finishing phase, and the average daily gain. There was also a significant difference in the trunk length between groups, the fat thickness on withers and loin, and also in mean fat thickness. A significant difference was found in the case of pH, total drip loss, and meat colour (L*). The intramuscular fat and collagen content of meat was significantly higher in summer; in contrast, the protein content of meat samples was considerably lower in summer. In conclusion, seasonal effects on finishers' performance, lean meat values, and several meat quality parameters highlight the importance of more profound seasonal settings of climate control to fulfil the progressively changing quantitative and qualitative requests of pork sector participants from farm to fork.

COVID-19 vaccination refusal in the active Hungarian adult population in December, 2021 An exploratory study / A COVID-19 elleni oltóanyagot elutasítók az aktív korú felnott magyar lakosság körében 2021 decemberében

Introduction: In 2021, vaccines against COVID-19 became widely available in Hungary, but a part of the population refuses to be vaccinated, which hinders the control of the pandemic. Objective: To explore the sociodemographic characteristics of the Hungarian vaccination-refusing population and to preliminarily explore the reasons behind their refusal. Methods: In December 2021, survey data were collected online using quota-sampling among the Hungarian population aged 18-65 years with internee access. Sociodemographic variables, individual variables, and reasons for refusal were asked. 1905 completed questionnaires were included in this analysis. After variable selection using LASSO regression, binary logistic regression was used to identify the influencing variables. Reasons for rejection were examined both descriptively and using hierarchical classification. Results: Respondents with lower income, lower education, females, younger age, people living in smaller municipalities and who perceived their own health as better were more likely to refine vaccination. No similar associations were found with marital status, household size, life satisfaction and loneliness. Distrust of vaccination, safety concerns (especially side effects) and efficacy concerns are the main reasons for refusal, and to a lesser extent, the belief of immunity. Conclusions: Vaccination refusal is higher in vulnerable groups, which further increases their health risks. Alongside a well-designed health communication campaign, restoring trust in scientific and health institutions, transparent communication and a community-based approach appear to be important to increase vaccination uptake in Hungary.