Bilateral symmetry describes the assumption that data collected on one side of the carcass is equally representative of the other side of the carcass. Historical data reported the differences in HCW between left and right sides of a carcass was approximately 8 percent, and these differences were attributed to experimental error. In the past, bellies originating from the same carcass were assumed to be symmetrical in composition. New techniques are currently being used to analyze fresh belly quality, and less is known about bilateral symmetry when using these techniques.
One hundred forty bellies from 70 pork carcasses (from both barrows and gilts) were obtained from the University of Illinois Meat Science Laboratory. Left and right sides of each carcass were fabricated to comply with Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications (IMPS) as described by the North American Meat Processors Association (2010).