GIES Case Study on Zhenba Bacon Northern Subtropical
Mountains
Liu, R.1* Zhu, L. X.2,10* Li, Y. M.3 Chen,
Y. H.4
Li, C. Y.5,10 Yao,
X. K.6
Wu, G. F.7,10 Ma,
X. W.8
Wang, X. B.3,10 Lu,
H. Z.9,10 Yu, S. J.1 Wang,
C. W.1
Ran, W.1
Liu, C.11
Jiang, Z. C.11
1. Research Center for
Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China;
2. Administration for Market
Regulation of Zhenba County, Shaanxi Province, Zhenba 723600, China;
3. College of Economics and
Management, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China;
4. Zhenba County Industrial
Park Management Committee of Shaanxi Province, Zhenba 723600, China;
5. Food and Drug Supervision and
Inspection Center of Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province, Hanzhong 723000, China;
6. School of Journalism and
Communication, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi??an 710062, China;
7. Shaanxi Zhenhongshule Food
Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd, Zhenba 723600, China;
8. Agriculture and Rural Bureau
of Zhenba County, Shaanxi province, Zhenba 723600, China;
9. School of Biological Science
and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong 723001, China;
10. ??Four Main Body and One Joint?? School and Enterprise
Joint Research Center of Zhenba bacon in Shaanxi Province, Hanzhong 723001,
China;
11. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources
Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Abstract: Zhenba County is
located in the southern part of Shaanxi Province, in the hinterland of Daba
Mountains, and belongs to the border area of north and south China. The forest
coverage rate in Zhenba County reaches 70.5%, with a mild climate and abundant
rainfall, which has earned it the reputation of being the ??Qinba Oxygen Bar,
Botanical Treasure Trove??. Zhenba County is a typical mountainous agricultural
planting area with minimal industrial pollution. It is also home to an
extremely rich variety of flora and fauna. This unique ecological environment
provides an excellent breeding ground for the raw material of bacon??pigs. As a
result, the bacon produced in Zhenba is more competitive in terms of meat
quality, and flavor. The dataset includes: (1) boundary data of the case area; (2) physical geographical
factors (climate, soil, water and vegetation index); (3) heavy metal residues
of crops and wild plants used in pig breeding, and classification and efficacy
of wild plants in pig breeding; (4) quality and nutrition data of Zhenba bacon;
(5) socioeconomic and management data, including population, GDP and management
standards, etc. The dataset is archived in .shp, .tif, .xlsx, and .jpg formats,
and consists of 59 data files with data size of 118 MB (Compressed into one
file with 56.3 MB).
Keywords: Shaanxi; Zhenba; bacon; geographical
environment; sustainable development; Case 20
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3974/geodp.2024.04.06
CSTR: https://cstr.escience.org.cn/CSTR:20146.14.2024.04.06
Dataset Availability Statement:
The dataset
supporting this paper was published and is accessible through the Digital Journal of
Global Change Data Repository at: https://doi.org/10.3974/geodb.2024.11.03.V1
or https://cstr.escience.org.cn/CSTR:20146.11.2024.11.03.V1.
1 Introduction
Zhenba
County is located in the southern part of Shaanxi Province, in the southeastern
corner of Hanzhong City. Situated at the southern foot of the Qinling Mountains
and the eastern section of the Micang Mountain, Zhenba County is characterized
by high mountains, dense forests, and numerous secluded valleys. As a typical
mountainous agricultural county, Zhenba County has a long history in livestock
and poultry breeding. Among these, pig breeding is one of the leading
industries in the county[1].
Given that raw meat is prone to spoilage and difficult to store, local farmers
commonly preserve raw pork by salting, air-drying, or smoking it to make bacon.
Owing to the inconvenient transportation in the mountainous areas, residents
typically rely on bacon as their primary source of meat throughout the year.
Zhenba bacon thus has a history spanning thousands of years. Through the
combined effects of natural temperature, humidity, and microbial communities,
the raw pork is dehydrated and air-dried, resulting in a unique flavor and
taste. Benefiting from the high-quality local raw pork, the distinctive natural
environment and climate, as well as the elaborate production and preservation
techniques of bacon, in December 2010, the former General Administration of Quality
Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine approved the implementation of
geographical indication product protection for ??Zhenba Bacon??.
The ??GIES case
dataset on Zhenba bacon from the Northern Subtropical Mountains?? analyzed the
physiographic and climatic conditions, water and soil conditions, pig breeding,
bacon processing, and management status of the case area, aiming to provide
scientific and technological support for the sustainable development of the
Zhenba bacon.
2 Metadata of the Dataset
The
metadata information of the ??GIES case dataset on Zhenba bacon from the northern
subtropical mountains??[2] is
summarized in Table 1.
3 Ecological and Geographical Environment
3.1 Case Area
Zhenba
County covers a total area of 3,437 km2, governs 1 sub-district and
19 towns, with a permanent population of about 274,700. The case area consists
of Jingyang Sub-district, Xiaoyang Town, and Yangjiahe Town (Figure 1), having
a combined population of 63,857. The other 17 towns are: Guanyin Town, Xinglong
Town, Sanyuan Town, Changling Town, Liba Town, Bamiao Town, Nianzi Town, Chinan
Town, Ping??an Town, Rencun Town, Qingshui Town, Jianchi Town, Yongle Town,
Songshu Town, Yudu Town, Yanchang Town, and Dachi Town[4].
3.2 Topography
Zhenba County is located in the western part
of the Daba Mountains and the eastern section of the Micang Mountains, with the
Micang Mountains and Daba Mountains running through
Table 1 Metadata summary of the GIES case
dataset on Zhenba bacon from the northern subtropical mountains
Items
|
Description
|
Dataset full name
|
GIES case dataset
on Zhenba bacon from the northern subtropical mountains
|
Dataset short
name
|
ZhenbaBaconCase20
|
Authors
|
Liu, R., Research Center
for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
ruiliu@rcees.ac.cn
Yu, S. J.,
Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, sjyu@rcees.ac.cn
Zhu, L. X.,
Administration for Market Regulation of Zhenba County, Shaanxi Province, ZLX080923@163.com
Chen, Y. H.,
Zhenba County Industrial Park Management Committee of Shaanxi Province
Li, C. Y., Food
and Drug Supervision and Inspection Center of Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province
Wu, G. F.,
Shaanxi Zhenhongshule Food Technology Development Co., Ltd.
Ma, X. W.,
Agriculture and Rural Bureau of Zhenba County, Shaanxi Province
Li, Y. M.,
Northwest A&F University
Yao, X. K.,
Shaanxi Normal University, 13379467960@163.com
Wang, X. B.,
Administration for Market Regulation of Zhenba County, Shaanxi Province
Lu, H. Z.,
Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, lhz780823@snut.edu.cn
Wang, C. W.,
Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, wangchunwan2022@163.com
Ran, W., Research
Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, weiran_st@rcees.ac.cn
Jiang, Z. C.,
Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy
of Sciences, jiangzhaocai@igsnrr.ac.cn
|
Geographical
region
|
Jinyang
Sub-district, Xiaoyang Town, and Yangjiahe Town, Zhenba County, Shaanxi
Province
|
Year
|
2023
|
Data format
|
.shp, .xlsx, .tif, .jpg, etc.
|
|
|
Data size
|
56.3 MB??after
compression??
|
|
|
Data files
|
Geographic
location data of the case area, geographical environment data, heavy metal
residue of crops for pig farming and classification and effects of wild
plants, quality and nutrition data of Zhenba bacon, socioeconomic and
management data, etc.
|
Foundation
|
Zhenba County,
Shaanxi Province (2023)
|
Data publisher
|
Global Change Research Data Publishing & Repository,
http://www.geodoi.ac.cn
|
Address
|
No. 11A, Datun
Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China
|
Data sharing
policy
|
(1) Data are openly available and can be
free downloaded via the Internet; (2) End users are encouraged to use Data subject to citation; (3) Users,
who are by definition also value-added service providers, are welcome to
redistribute Data subject to
written permission from the GCdataPR Editorial Office and the issuance of a Data redistribution license; and (4)
If Data are used to compile new
datasets, the ??ten per cent principal?? should be followed such that Data records utilized should not
surpass 10% of the new dataset contents, while sources should be clearly
noted in suitable places in the new dataset[3]
|
Communication and
searchable system
|
DOI, CSTR, Crossref, DCI, CSCD, CNKI, SciEngine, WDS, GEOSS, PubScholar,
CKRSC
|
the
territory. The whole area is characterized by steep mountains and numerous
towering peaks. The mountain range runs from the northwest to the southeast,
belonging to the folded bedrock mountainous area with humid water-bearing
geological zone[4]. Based on the
ASTER GDEM V003 data,
the authors conducted a classification analysis of the elevation and slope of
Zhenba County (Figure 2, 3). The altitude of most mountains in the area is between
500?C2,500 m. Among them, the area above 1,000 m accounts for 68.86% of the
total area of the county[5];
95.32% of the land has a slope of more than 7??, and the land with a slope of
more than 25?? accounts for approximately 46.82% of the county[6].
The complex topography and geomorphology, along with a large elevation difference, have led to significant climate
differences and diverse hydro-climatic conditions. This has nurtured rich
animal and plant resources, earning Zhenba County the reputation of ??Qinba
Oxygen Bar, Botanical Treasure Trove??. It also provides a superior and unique
ecological environment for the breeding of pigs, making the bacon produced in
Zhenba County more competitive in terms of meat quality and flavor.

Figure 1 Geo-location map of the case area

Figure 2 Map of elevation of Zhenba County
3.3 Climatic Data
Zhenba
County has a northern subtropical monsoon climate. It is rich in vegetation,
with a forest coverage rate of 70.5%[4].
It enjoys a mild and humid climate, abundant rainfall, fertile soil, and a
uniquely favorable natural environment. Zhenba County mainly engages in
agriculture, with minimal industrial pollution. In 2023, the annual air quality
compliance rate was 98.1%, and the excellent rate reached 67.4% (Figure 4).
The county has abundant precipitation,
with an average annual precipitation of approximately 1,250?C1,350 mm (Figure
5). The average annual sunshine duration is about 1,300 h. In the three towns of the case area, the winter
temperature ranges from 2?C7 ??, and the summer temperature does not exceed 27 ??
(Figure 6). With neither severe cold in winter nor intense heat in summer, it
is convenient for the preservation and fermentation of meat products.

Figure 3 Map of land slope of Zhenba County

Figure 4 Statistical analysis chart of Air
Quality Index in Zhenba County (2023)
(AQI 50 corresponds to the
standard limit of excellent air quality, and AQI 100 corresponds to the standard
limit of good air quality (HJ 633??2012))
3.4 Water Quality
Zhenba
County is abundant in water resources, boasting numerous lakes, rivers, and
clear mountain springs. Most of the drinking water comes from mountain spring,
which is pure and less polluted. In this study, river water, spring water and
tap water were collected in the case area (Figure 7), and water quality
parameters, heavy metal and mineral element contents were tested and analyzed.

|

|
Figure 5 Precipitation in the case area
(2023)
|
Figure 6
Temperature in the case area
(2023)
|

Figure 7 Map of water and soil
sampling sites in the case area
The
water in the whole area is generally weakly alkaline. As shown in Table 2, the
heavy metal contents (including Cr, Ni, Cu, As, Cd, Pb, and Hg) meet the
requirements of Class I surface water standards in the national standard
GB3838??2002[7], which are close to the levels of commercially
available mineral water. Moreover, the content of the beneficial trace element
Sr is relatively high (>20 ??g/L), indicating that the water quality in Zhenba
County is excellent and the water source is pure.
3.5 Soil Data
Zhenba
County is a typical agricultural county with
minimal industrial pollution and favorable soil conditions. The soil types in
Zhenba County include yellow-brown earth, yellow-cinnamon soil, stony skeletal
soil, and lamellar sandy soil. The soils exhibit neutral, weakly acidic, and
weakly alkaline differentiation. For this study, we collected samples of
agricultural soil, tea garden soil, woodland soil, and hillslope soil from the
case study area (Figure 7). These samples were taken in layers at a depth of 60
cm, with each layer being 20 cm thick. After removing impurities, grinding, and
sieving, the samples were digested, and the contents of heavy metals and
mineral elements were tested. The results (Table 3) show that the contents of
heavy metals in all soil samples were in accordance with the national standard
GB 15618??2018[8].
Table 2 Statistics of water quality
in the case area
Test indicators
|
No.1 (Spring water)
|
No.2 (River water)
|
No.3 (Tap water)
|
No.4 (Stream water)
|
No.5 ( Spring
water)
|
No.6 (Spring water)
|
Class I surface water standard
|
pH
|
7.80
|
7.94
|
8.07
|
7.84
|
7.96
|
8.33
|
6.5-8.5
|
Cr (??g/L)
|
0.92
|
0.42
|
0.44
|
0.61
|
0.43
|
0.41
|
<10
|
Ni (??g/L)
|
0.57
|
0.92
|
0.46
|
0.74
|
0.54
|
0.52
|
/
|
Cu (??g/L)
|
0.59
|
0.47
|
0.63
|
1.14
|
0.92
|
0.48
|
<10
|
As (??g/L)
|
0.46
|
0.32
|
0.36
|
0.13
|
0.24
|
0.27
|
<50
|
Cd (??g/L)
|
0.010
|
0.017
|
0.005
|
0.003
|
0.007
|
0.007
|
<1
|
Pb (??g/L)
|
0.049
|
0.045
|
0.029
|
0.036
|
0.064
|
0.025
|
<10
|
Hg (??g/L)
|
0.004
|
0.004
|
0.006
|
0.004
|
0.005
|
0.005
|
<0.05
|
Zn (??g/L)
|
1.44
|
1.29
|
0.70
|
4.96
|
3.34
|
0.55
|
<50
|
Sr (??g/L)
|
71.3
|
109.8
|
65.7
|
34.4
|
65.1
|
67.6
|
>20
|
Table
3 Statistics of soil quality in the case area (Unit: mg/kg)
No.
|
Soil type
|
Depth (cm)
|
pH
|
Cr
|
Ni
|
Cu
|
As
|
Cd
|
Pb
|
Hg
|
Zn
|
Sr
|
1
|
Farmland Soil
|
0?C20
|
6.57
|
38.0
|
21.3
|
16.4
|
25.0
|
0.29
|
14.6
|
0.006
|
59.7
|
15.1
|
|
|
20?C40
|
6.98
|
45.0
|
20.5
|
16.8
|
31.2
|
0.28
|
10.8
|
0.047
|
60.6
|
18.0
|
|
|
40?C60
|
7.22
|
44.1
|
20.1
|
19.0
|
25.9
|
0.29
|
14.0
|
0.020
|
66.8
|
16.0
|
2
|
Timbered soil
|
0?C20
|
6.82
|
76.2
|
41.2
|
29.3
|
35.8
|
0.28
|
18.9
|
0.046
|
95.6
|
27.1
|
|
|
20?C40
|
6.58
|
80.2
|
44.6
|
31.9
|
37.8
|
0.29
|
20.9
|
0.035
|
101.8
|
26.7
|
|
|
40?C60
|
6.85
|
88.8
|
48.3
|
31.3
|
36.0
|
0.29
|
18.1
|
0.010
|
99.2
|
25.7
|
3
|
Hillside soil
|
0?C20
|
7.30
|
56.8
|
25.5
|
23.0
|
29.9
|
0.29
|
11.6
|
0.031
|
72.1
|
15.6
|
|
|
20?C40
|
7.55
|
59.9
|
26.9
|
24.6
|
24.4
|
0.3
|
14.6
|
0.013
|
76.2
|
16.4
|
|
|
40?C60
|
7.61
|
59.4
|
27.5
|
22.9
|
25.9
|
0.3
|
13.5
|
0.007
|
74.8
|
18.7
|
4
|
Paddy soil
|
0?C20
|
7.79
|
46.0
|
21.4
|
11.3
|
32.8
|
0.3
|
11.6
|
0.004
|
50.6
|
17.9
|
|
|
20?C40
|
5.98
|
47.0
|
18.2
|
11.3
|
28.8
|
0.28
|
9.4
|
0.029
|
45.2
|
13.8
|
|
|
40?C60
|
6.34
|
51.0
|
20.3
|
13.4
|
32.2
|
0.27
|
9.3
|
0.028
|
49.0
|
13.3
|
5
|
Tea garden soil
|
0?C20
|
5.28
|
64.2
|
42.0
|
27.0
|
38.8
|
0.28
|
14.8
|
0.024
|
77.0
|
15.6
|
|
|
20?C40
|
5.08
|
48.7
|
31.7
|
20.6
|
30.8
|
0.29
|
11.0
|
0.021
|
58.6
|
11.8
|
|
|
40?C60
|
5.29
|
90.1
|
43.9
|
36.5
|
39.5
|
0.29
|
15.9
|
0.033
|
101.3
|
10.4
|
6
|
Timbered soil
|
0?C20
|
7.69
|
65.6
|
28.0
|
33.4
|
34.0
|
0.3
|
9.6
|
0.048
|
93.8
|
8.1
|
|
|
20-40
|
7.50
|
61.9
|
26.2
|
27.3
|
30.9
|
0.3
|
8.6
|
0.016
|
84.1
|
7.9
|
|
|
40-60
|
7.10
|
54.1
|
23.1
|
23.9
|
26.4
|
0.25
|
6.6
|
0.010
|
60.5
|
6.4
|
7
|
Tea garden soil
|
0?C20
|
5.69
|
85.8
|
40.4
|
33.3
|
37.3
|
0.26
|
21.4
|
0.046
|
96.3
|
18.5
|
|
|
20?C40
|
5.87
|
53.9
|
23.5
|
19.0
|
33.3
|
0.27
|
12.7
|
0.031
|
60.0
|
12.2
|
|
|
40?C60
|
5.71
|
66.0
|
33.8
|
25.2
|
35.3
|
0.29
|
12.0
|
0.038
|
76.7
|
11.5
|
8
|
Farmland Soil
|
0?C20
|
6.84
|
61.2
|
26.1
|
23.1
|
27.5
|
0.28
|
18.6
|
0.019
|
89.9
|
2.9
|
|
|
20?C40
|
6.25
|
83.7
|
31.3
|
27.1
|
29.7
|
0.28
|
17.5
|
0.018
|
99.7
|
2.8
|
|
|
40?C60
|
6.47
|
79.3
|
32.4
|
27.2
|
30.9
|
0.27
|
19.7
|
0.037
|
83.4
|
3.5
|
9
|
Farmland Soil
|
0?C20
|
7.20
|
73.3
|
36.5
|
24.5
|
33.8
|
0.3
|
14.5
|
0.027
|
84.9
|
16.3
|
|
|
20?C40
|
6.80
|
105.6
|
46.2
|
32.4
|
34.7
|
0.28
|
19.2
|
0.021
|
113.5
|
20.8
|
|
|
40?C60
|
6.65
|
71.8
|
35.4
|
23.4
|
35.5
|
0.26
|
11.2
|
0.027
|
80.6
|
14.9
|
10
|
Hillside soil
|
0?C20
|
7.81
|
85.9
|
46.7
|
40.7
|
33.2
|
0.27
|
11.0
|
0.014
|
104.2
|
6.5
|
|
|
20?C40
|
7.92
|
94.2
|
52.4
|
42.0
|
32.4
|
0.28
|
12.1
|
0.001
|
119.0
|
6.5
|
|
|
40?C60
|
7.09
|
86.2
|
41.8
|
33.6
|
38.5
|
0.28
|
12.4
|
0.001
|
88.1
|
10.9
|
(To
be continued on the next page)
(Continued)
No.
|
Soil type
|
Depth (cm)
|
pH
|
Cr
|
Ni
|
Cu
|
As
|
Cd
|
Pb
|
Hg
|
Zn
|
Sr
|
11
|
Timbered soil
|
0?C20
|
6.84
|
89.7
|
44.3
|
39.1
|
34.5
|
0.2
|
5.8
|
0.023
|
87.1
|
3.5
|
|
|
20?C40
|
6.25
|
113.0
|
53.9
|
46.1
|
39.1
|
0.28
|
5.6
|
0.022
|
116.5
|
4.7
|
|
|
40?C60
|
6.47
|
83.2
|
43.4
|
37.3
|
35.6
|
0.27
|
10.1
|
0.042
|
101.4
|
6.3
|
12
|
Tea garden soil
|
0?C20
|
4.48
|
57.4
|
27.5
|
15.0
|
27.2
|
0.29
|
6.6
|
0.031
|
58.5
|
18.3
|
|
|
20?C40
|
4.45
|
93.3
|
46.3
|
36.8
|
39.7
|
0.29
|
12.9
|
0.024
|
95.4
|
22.2
|
|
|
40?C60
|
4.51
|
77.4
|
40.1
|
47.2
|
39.8
|
0.26
|
6.9
|
0.000
|
78.6
|
15.3
|
13
|
Paddy soil
|
0?C20
|
7.05
|
62.6
|
26.1
|
17.6
|
39.2
|
0.22
|
13.2
|
0.037
|
73.0
|
24.3
|
|
|
20?C40
|
7.10
|
75.2
|
31.9
|
22.6
|
38.9
|
0.3
|
16.9
|
0.045
|
80.0
|
25.6
|
|
|
40?C60
|
6.50
|
55.7
|
23.2
|
16.0
|
32.3
|
0.18
|
9.7
|
0.007
|
58.8
|
9.4
|
14
|
Hillside soil
|
0?C20
|
7.64
|
61.4
|
29.0
|
23.1
|
29.7
|
0.3
|
13.5
|
0.014
|
65.9
|
17.9
|
|
|
20?C40
|
7.34
|
77.4
|
35.6
|
28.2
|
33.3
|
0.28
|
15.6
|
0.024
|
83.1
|
17.8
|
|
|
40?C60
|
6.34
|
64.7
|
31.7
|
25.0
|
34.0
|
0.29
|
14.9
|
0.023
|
74.6
|
20.2
|
15
|
Tea garden soil
|
0?C20
|
5.51
|
82.7
|
37.7
|
26.2
|
33.5
|
0.29
|
16.8
|
0.016
|
88.4
|
24.4
|
|
|
20?C40
|
4.90
|
84.0
|
38.8
|
26.8
|
34.0
|
0.28
|
17.0
|
0.013
|
88.7
|
24.7
|
|
|
40?C60
|
4.96
|
77.1
|
37.2
|
26.4
|
34.2
|
0.29
|
14.1
|
0.027
|
79.9
|
12.8
|
Limits in GB 15618??2018
|
|
|
|
??150
|
??70
|
??50
|
??40
|
??0.3
|
??90
|
??1.8
|
??200
|
/
|
3.6 Pig Breeding Environment
Pigs
used for processing Zhenba bacon are mostly raised through a combination of
barn feeding and free-range in forested areas (Figure 8). For pig at different
weight stages, energy feeds (such as corn), protein feeds (such as soybean and
rapeseed), roughage (such as bran and rice bran), and green feeds (grass powder
or fermented forage) are rationally supplemented. Primary agricultural products
such as potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes??all sourced locally??serve as the
main feed materials for hog fattening.

Figure 8 Photos of pig farming
Zhenba County
boasts dense forest coverage with abundant understory plant resources, serving
as a natural repository of medicinal herbs. Through quadrat sampling and
analysis of understory vegetation, the author has preliminarily identified 100
species of wild medicinal plants belonging to 41 families and 81 genera (Table
4). Most of them are included in the pharmacopoeia. For example, Plantago
asiatica, Lysimachia christinae, and Sinosenecio oldhamianus have the effect of
clearing heat and detoxifying. Rheum officinale, Kummerowia striata, and
Achyranthes bidentata have the function of promoting intestinal peristalsis and
diuresis. Artemisia annua, Morus alba, and Prunella vulgaris have the effect of
relieving summer heat. Debregeasia orientalis, Hosta plantaginea, and Spiraea
salicifolia have the function of relieving cough. These wild plants are also
important sources of green feed for pig breeding.
Due to the low soil pollution and good
soil conditions locally, the heavy metal pollution of crops and wild plants is
low (Table 5), ensuring the safety of pig feeding. At the same time, the
free-range conditions in the forest and the intake of natural medicinal herbs
ensure
Table 4 Statistics of natural plants species in Zhenba County
Number
|
Plant family name
|
Number of genera
|
Number of species
|
Rank
|
Plant family name
|
Number of genera
|
Number of species
|
1
|
Asteraceae
|
16
|
21
|
22
|
Eucommiaceae
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
Lamiaceae
|
5
|
5
|
23
|
Poaceae
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
Brassicaceae
|
4
|
7
|
24
|
Cucurbitaceae
|
1
|
1
|
4
|
Polygonaceae
|
4
|
4
|
25
|
Violaceae
|
1
|
1
|
5
|
Apiaceae
|
4
|
4
|
26
|
Crassulaceae
|
1
|
1
|
6
|
Urticaceae
|
3
|
4
|
27
|
Campanulaceae
|
1
|
1
|
7
|
Rosaceae
|
3
|
3
|
28
|
Thymelaeaceae
|
1
|
1
|
8
|
Amaranthaceae
|
3
|
3
|
29
|
Santalaceae
|
1
|
1
|
9
|
Fabaceae
|
2
|
4
|
30
|
Equisetaceae
|
1
|
1
|
10
|
Ranunculaceae
|
2
|
4
|
31
|
Anacardiaceae
|
1
|
1
|
11
|
Plantaginaceae
|
2
|
3
|
32
|
Rubiaceae
|
1
|
1
|
12
|
Menispermaceae
|
2
|
2
|
33
|
Solanaceae
|
1
|
1
|
13
|
Moraceae
|
2
|
2
|
34
|
Caprifoliaceae
|
1
|
1
|
14
|
Convolvulaceae
|
2
|
2
|
35
|
Amaryllidaceae
|
1
|
1
|
15
|
Primulaceae
|
1
|
3
|
36
|
Caryophyllaceae
|
1
|
1
|
16
|
Vitaceae
|
1
|
2
|
37
|
Hydrangeaceae
|
1
|
1
|
17
|
Asparagaceae
|
1
|
2
|
38
|
Scrophulariaceae
|
1
|
1
|
18
|
Commelinaceae
|
1
|
2
|
39
|
Salicaceae
|
1
|
1
|
19
|
Liliaceae
|
1
|
1
|
40
|
Papaveraceae
|
1
|
1
|
20
|
Casuarinaceae
|
1
|
1
|
41
|
Boraginaceae
|
1
|
1
|
21
|
Euphorbiaceae
|
1
|
1
|
Total
|
|
81
|
100
|
the
health of pigs, reducing the occurrence of diseases and the use of various
veterinary drugs. The large amounts of linolenic acid and ??-tocopherol in the
grass play an important role in the formation of bacon flavor and the
antioxidant properties of bacon fat[9].
Besides, pigs raised in free-range for a long time have a higher muscle
content, and their meat is more tender and delicious.
4 Pig Characteristics Data
Based
on the local geographical and climatic characteristics, Zhenba County has introduced
excellent foreign pig breeds such as Landrace and Yorkshire, and cross-bred
them with domestic local excellent breeds to cultivate a special binary
cross-bred pig breed for the production of Zhenba bacon[11].
The piglets are plump and strong, with a low mortality rate. The pork has more
lean meat and less fat, a smooth and delicious taste, and high nutritional
value, making it suitable for bacon production. To promote
the excellent pig breeds, Zhenba County has
specifically established sow breeding bases, rearing bases, and piglet breeding
bases to provide pig sources for pig farms and individual households. After
centralized breeding, binary hybrid sows now account for 90% of the breeding
sows in Zhenba County, among which excellent binary sows such as Landrace and
Yorkshire account for 75%[12].
To ensure the
quality of raw pork, standardize the breeding process, and guide breeders to
update their concepts and master new knowledge of modern animal husbandry,
specialized technical personnel such as animal husbandry and veterinary staff
regularly train farmers. They guide breeders in scientific and healthy
breeding, and there are strict regulations on the processing of pig feed, the
fattening of pigs in pigsties, and the prevention and control of pig diseases,
so as to ensure the excellent quality of raw materials for bacon processing.
The pigs are all raised for more than 10 months (Table 6). The meat was firm
and nutritionally rich (Table 7). The veterinary drug residues of raw pork were
further tested, and all met the requirements of the national standard for
veterinary drug residues (Table 8).
Table
5 Statistics of heavy metal concentrations in agricultural
products and wild plants
(Unit: mg/kg)
No.
|
Cr
|
Ni
|
Cu
|
As
|
Cd
|
Pb
|
Hg
|
Zn
|
Sr
|
Se
|
1 (Potato)
|
0.46
|
0.97
|
5.23
|
0.11
|
0.08
|
0.15
|
0.004
|
13.3
|
1.18
|
0.04
|
2 (Potato)
|
0.40
|
1.10
|
3.20
|
0.20
|
0.005
|
0.10
|
0.003
|
27.5
|
0.50
|
0.15
|
3 (Potato)
|
0.30
|
0.34
|
2.15
|
0.04
|
0.09
|
0.06
|
0.004
|
5.72
|
0.50
|
0.06
|
4 (Potato)
|
0.02
|
0.06
|
0.53
|
0.002
|
0.035
|
0.007
|
0.003
|
1.49
|
0.10
|
0.12
|
5 (Potato)
|
0.05
|
0.05
|
0.17
|
0.02
|
0.009
|
0.03
|
0.004
|
0.47
|
0.15
|
0.14
|
6 (Potato)
|
0.04
|
0.16
|
1.13
|
0.005
|
0.005
|
0.01
|
0.003
|
5.67
|
1.50
|
0.12
|
7 (Potato)
|
0.04
|
0.08
|
0.70
|
0.006
|
0.007
|
0.01
|
0.005
|
6.77
|
0.10
|
0.10
|
8 (Sweet potato)
|
0.02
|
0.01
|
0.07
|
0.01
|
0.001
|
0.02
|
0.003
|
1.13
|
0.01
|
0.13
|
9 (Sweet potato)
|
0.05
|
0.13
|
1.28
|
0.001
|
0.008
|
0.02
|
0.003
|
12.8
|
0.16
|
0.31
|
10 (Sweet Potato)
|
0.14
|
0.17
|
1.84
|
0.005
|
0.003
|
0.03
|
0.006
|
12.1
|
0.17
|
0.09
|
11 (Sweet potato)
|
0.03
|
0.04
|
0.44
|
0.02
|
0.006
|
0.005
|
0.002
|
5.22
|
0.07
|
0.09
|
12 (Sweet potato)
|
0.03
|
0.12
|
0.63
|
0.02
|
0.003
|
0.008
|
0.003
|
5.75
|
0.10
|
0.06
|
13 (Sweet potato)
|
0.003
|
0.03
|
0.33
|
0.05
|
0.007
|
0.01
|
0.002
|
3.61
|
0.06
|
0.08
|
14 (Sweet potato)
|
0.02
|
0.02
|
0.84
|
0.03
|
0.001
|
0.006
|
0.002
|
5.97
|
0.06
|
0.08
|
Limits in GB 2762??2022
(Root and tuber vegetables)
[10]
|
<0.5
|
/
|
/
|
<0.5
|
<0.1
|
<0.2
|
<0.01
|
/
|
/
|
/
|
15 (Corn)
|
0.39
|
0.34
|
2.20
|
0.03
|
0.09
|
0.06
|
0.002
|
12.1
|
2.79
|
0.002
|
16 (Corn)
|
0.49
|
0.60
|
3.43
|
0.06
|
0.08
|
0.09
|
0.002
|
17.8
|
0.89
|
0.008
|
17 (Corn)
|
0.99
|
0.57
|
2.21
|
0.05
|
0.07
|
0.19
|
0.007
|
12.5
|
0.47
|
0.03
|
18 (Corn)
|
0.69
|
0.38
|
1.42
|
0.04
|
0.05
|
0.07
|
0.002
|
9.36
|
0.39
|
0.10
|
19 (Corn)
|
0.72
|
0.76
|
6.14
|
0.07
|
0.01
|
0.18
|
0.007
|
11.2
|
11.8
|
0.06
|
Limits in GB 2762??2022
(Cereals)
|
<1
|
/
|
/
|
<0.5
|
<0.1
|
<0.2
|
<0.02
|
/
|
/
|
/
|
20 (Wild plants)
|
0.42
|
0.49
|
7.93
|
0.14
|
0.15
|
0.13
|
0.002
|
35.7
|
2.76
|
0.03
|
21 (Wild plants)
|
0.45
|
0.43
|
1.83
|
0.03
|
0.07
|
0.12
|
0.001
|
21.5
|
5.22
|
0.28
|
22 (Wild plants)
|
0.47
|
0.40
|
4.90
|
0.47
|
0.03
|
0.24
|
0.001
|
27.5
|
13.8
|
0.29
|
23 (Wild plants)
|
0.49
|
0.34
|
4.86
|
0.07
|
0.05
|
0.19
|
0.009
|
19.7
|
0.63
|
0.02
|
24 (Wild plants)
|
0.46
|
0.66
|
2.87
|
0.21
|
0.06
|
0.19
|
0.009
|
14.5
|
1.77
|
0.01
|
Limits in GB 2762??2022 (Leafy vegetables)
|
<0.5
|
/
|
/
|
<0.5
|
<0.2
|
<0.3
|
<0.01
|
/
|
/
|
/
|
Table 6 Growth stages of pig in
Zhenba County
Growth stage
|
Growth period
|
Feeding method
|
Maternity piglet stage
|
From birth to weaning, 21-28 days
|
Breeding base for pigs, fed with mother??s
milk
|
Nursery piglet stage
|
From weaning to about 20 kg, 30-45 days
|
Breeding base for pigs, fed with starter
feed
|
Early fattening stage (20-40 kg)
|
About 60 days
|
Combination of forest-based free-range and
barn feeding, green forage, with appropriate supplementary feeding
|
Mid fattening stage (40-75 kg)
|
About 90 days
|
Combination of forest-based free-range and
barn feeding, green forage, with appropriate supplementary feeding
|
Late fattening stage (75 kg-Market)
|
About 80 days
|
Barn feeding, green forage and compound
feed
|
5 Bacon Characteristics Data
Zhenba
bacon is a typical smoked bacon. When processing, pigs raised for more than 10
months are generally selected. The fresh meat is first cut into long strips of
about 1 kg each for easy processing. The surface of the fresh pork is smeared
with corn liquor, rubbed with salt, and then some mixed spices such as star
anise, Chinese prickly ash, fennel, cinnamon, and bay leaves are added. The
meat is placed in a pickling vat and pickled in a cool place for 3 to 7 days.
After pickling, the water is drained, and the meat is hung in a ventilated
place for air-drying. Finally, it is transferred to a smoking room, smoked with
cypress branches and leaves for 3 to 4 h, and then moved to a baking room.
High-quality firewood with rich fragrance such as cypress branches, walnut
shells, and oak wood is selected for baking for 30 to 45 days. Finally, it is
sterilized, packaged, and sold[14].
Table 7 Test results of nutritional composition in
Zhenba fresh pork
|
Item
|
Per 100 g
|
NRV%
|
Energy
|
1,528
kJ
|
18%
|
Protein
|
20.7
g
|
35%
|
Fat
|
26.4
g
|
44%
|
Carbohydrates
|
11.7
g
|
4%
|
Sodium
|
39
mg
|
2%
|
Table 8 Test results of veterinary drug residue in Zhenba fresh
pork (Unit: ??g/kg)
|
Item
|
Detection
value
|
Ministry
of agriculture and rural affairs announcement No. 250[13]
|
Clenbuterol
|
Not detected
|
Not allowed
|
Ractopamine
|
Not detected
|
Not allowed
|
Albuterol
|
Not detected
|
Not allowed
|
Terbutaline
|
Not detected
|
Not allowed
|
The processing
time of Zhenba bacon is generally from November to December. The local high
altitude and climate are suitable for bacon production. The low temperature in
winter is conducive to the preservation of pork, and the humid air can increase
the pickling effect, facilitating the penetration of various spices into the
meat. During the pickling process of bacon, under the
action of microorganisms and liquor, the lipids and proteins in the meat are
continuously hydrolyzed and oxidized, forming various flavor substances such as
alcohols, aldehydes, and acids. Different aroma substances are derived through
the Maillard reaction. The microbial community also changes continuously. The
dominant bacterial phyla are Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. The dominant
bacterial genera gradually change from Escherichia-Shigella in the raw meat
samples to Staphylococcus and Psychrobacter in the pickled samples, and then to
Lactobacillus in the smoked samples. The dominant fungal phyla are Ascomycota
and Basidiomycota, and the dominant fungal genera change from Fusarium and
Mortierella to Fusarium and Debaryomyces[15].
The number of harmful bacteria decreases continuously, while the microbial
flora beneficial to fermentation, such as lactic acid bacteria, continues to
increase, accelerating the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, and amino
acids, thus producing substances such as alcohols and organic acids[14]. During the smoking process,
the volatile smoke formed by the heating and combustion of wood also contains
various phenolic, alcoholic, carbonyl, and hydrocarbon compounds. On the one
hand, it can inhibit the growth and reproduction of pathogenic bacteria. On the
other hand, the volatile substances can penetrate into the meat products,
giving them a special smoked flavor. Fermented meat products have strong
regional differences. Climate, geographical environment,
temperature, and humidity affect the microbial community in meat products.
Coupled with pickling with local characteristic spices and smoking with
flavor-type woods, such as cypress branches, walnut wood, and oak wood, the
fermented Zhenba bacon has a unique flavor, rich aroma, bright meat color, and
a delicious and mellow taste.
Flavor is one of
the important indicators for the sensory evaluation of bacon and also an
important reference for evaluating the quality of bacon. Zhenba bacon has the
ester aroma after meat fermentation, the spice aroma from pickling, and the
woody and dried-fruit aroma from smoking. Dozens of flavor substances can be detected[16]. The pickling and smoking
periods are the key periods for the generation of volatile substances. During
the pickling period, a large number of esters are generated in Zhenba bacon,
such as isoamyl acetate, ethyl hexanoate, and ethyl lactate. The flavor
substances in the smoking period are mainly phenolic substances, including
2-methylphenol, 3-methylphenol, 4-methylguaiacol, 4-ethylguaiacol, guaiacol,
and phenol. The five volatile substances with relatively high contents in
Zhenba bacon are hexanal, guaiacol, phenol, ethanol, and 4-methylguaiacol. Compared
with other similar pickled products from different places, 3-methylbutanol and
2-methyl-1-propanol are the characteristic flavor substances of Zhenba bacon[17,18].
During the bacon
processing, proteins are continuously hydrolyzed, and the contents of various
free amino acids and peptides increase, adding to the nutritional value. After
the fermentation of raw meat, some triglycerides are hydrolyzed and oxidized to
convert into diglycerides. Diglycerides are recognized as beneficial food
components, with functions such as inhibiting visceral fat accumulation,
reducing blood lipids, and regulating blood sugar[19].
By measuring the diglyceride content in Zhenba bacon, it reaches 414 mg/kg,
which has a health-care function for the human body. The longer Zhenba bacon is
stored, the stronger the fragrance becomes. The fat in the meat gradually
degrades, and the diglyceride content further increases (Table 9). The
nutrition statistics of Zhenba bacon are shown in Table 10.
Table 9 Statistics of diglycerin
contents in Zhenba bacon
Sample number
|
Test item
|
Detection value
|
1 (Stored for 1 year)
|
Diglyceride (mg/kg)
|
414.49
|
|
1,2-Palmitic Acid-Oleic Acid Diglyceride (%)
|
35.16
|
|
1,3-Palmitic Acid-Oleic Acid Diglyceride (%)
|
56.08
|
2 (Stored for 2 years)
|
Diglyceride (mg/kg)
|
463
|
|
1,2-Palmitic Acid-Oleic Acid Diglyceride (%)
|
39.63
|
|
1,3-Palmitic Acid-Oleic Acid Diglyceride (%)
|
60.37
|
3 (Stored for 3 years)
|
Diglyceride (mg/kg)
|
571.00
|
|
1,2-Palmitic Acid-Oleic Acid Diglyceride (%)
|
38.48
|
|
1,3-Palmitic Acid-Oleic Acid Diglyceride (%)
|
57.29
|
Table
10 Statistics of Zhenba bacon
nutrition
|
Item
|
Per 100g
|
NRV%
|
Energy
|
2,498 kJ
|
30%
|
Protein
|
18.3 g
|
31%
|
Fat
|
58.0 g
|
97%
|
Carbohydrates
|
2.4 g
|
1%
|
Sodium
|
1,700 mg
|
85%
|
Meanwhile, the
contents of heavy metals, benzo(a)pyrene, peroxides, nitrites, and common
additives in the bacon products were also measured. All the indicators meet the
national safety standards (Tables 11 and 12).
6 Administration and Management
The total population of
Zhenba County is about 274,700. The per capita disposable income of urban
residents is 37,528 CNY, and that of rural residents is 13,974 CNY. The total
popu-
Table
11 Statistics of heavy metal contents in Zhenba bacon (Unit:
mg/kg)
Number
|
Cr
|
Ni
|
Cu
|
Zn
|
As
|
Se
|
Sr
|
Cd
|
Hg
|
Pb
|
1
|
0.39
|
0.12
|
0.44
|
8.74
|
0.015
|
0.10
|
0.69
|
0.007
|
0.030
|
0.05
|
2
|
0.90
|
0.09
|
0.42
|
10.3
|
0.023
|
0.03
|
0.37
|
0.008
|
0.039
|
0.05
|
3
|
0.57
|
0.11
|
0.81
|
188.8
|
0.088
|
0.64
|
0.30
|
0.005
|
0.034
|
0.04
|
4
|
0.41
|
0.26
|
1.21
|
17.8
|
0.091
|
0.10
|
5.55
|
0.016
|
0.029
|
0.13
|
5
|
0.83
|
0.35
|
1.58
|
31.7
|
0.090
|
0.05
|
5.73
|
0.029
|
0.026
|
0.17
|
6
|
0.54
|
0.07
|
0.66
|
16.4
|
0.022
|
0.10
|
1.18
|
0.006
|
0.018
|
0.04
|
7
|
0.49
|
0.15
|
1.43
|
50.2
|
0.065
|
0.30
|
2.19
|
0.011
|
0.017
|
0.05
|
8
|
0.45
|
0.39
|
0.50
|
42.3
|
0.034
|
0.15
|
10.8
|
0.028
|
0.008
|
0.12
|
9
|
0.46
|
0.05
|
0.43
|
8.12
|
0.024
|
0.18
|
0.72
|
0.006
|
0.008
|
0.06
|
10
|
0.23
|
0.04
|
0.38
|
10.5
|
0.008
|
0.08
|
0.14
|
0.007
|
0.005
|
0.03
|
11
|
0.28
|
0.03
|
0.44
|
6.00
|
0.014
|
0.24
|
0.18
|
0.002
|
0.009
|
0.01
|
12
|
0.09
|
0.04
|
0.78
|
17.7
|
0.007
|
0.19
|
0.13
|
0.024
|
0.004
|
0.02
|
13
|
0.15
|
0.02
|
0.10
|
3.32
|
0.002
|
0.15
|
0.11
|
0.011
|
0.004
|
0.02
|
Limits in GB 2730??2015[20]
|
/
|
/
|
/
|
/
|
<0.5
|
/
|
/
|
<0.1
|
/
|
<0.5
|
Table 12 Statistics of pollutants and
additives contents in Zhenba bacon
Number
|
Benzo[a]pyrene (??g/kg)
|
Peroxide value
(g/100g)
|
Nitrite (as NaNO2) (mg/kg)
|
Benzoic acid
(g/kg)
|
Sorbic acid (g/kg)
|
Carmine (g/kg)
|
Amaranth (g/kg)
|
1
|
2.51
|
0.016
|
ND
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
2
|
4.82
|
0.17
|
1.4
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
3
|
4.86
|
0.018
|
1.6
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
4
|
2.26
|
0.021
|
1.3
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
5
|
2
|
0.022
|
1.8
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
6
|
3.13
|
0.018
|
1.4
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
7
|
3.17
|
0.016
|
ND
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
8
|
2.72
|
0.019
|
4.8
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
Not detected
|
Limits in GB 2730??2015[20] and GB 2762??2022[10]
|
<5
|
??0.5
|
??30
|
Not allowed
|
Not allowed
|
Not allowed
|
Not allowed
|
lation
of the case area is 63,857. As of 2022, the bacon industry in the case area has
driven more than 10,000 people to be employed, accounting for more than
one-quarter of the total employment population in the entire area, making
important contributions to rural revitalization and sustainable development[21]. As one of the
representative geographical indication products in the Qinba Mountains, Zhenba
bacon is one of the traditional advantageous characteristic industries that
lead the high-quality breakthrough development of the animal husbandry industry
in the county. The Zhenba government has taken a series of measures to protect
the local pig-breeding ecological environment and the sustainable development
of the bacon industry.
6.1 Breeding Superior Varieties
To
ensure the quality of raw pork, excellent foreign pig breeds have been
introduced according to local conditions and cross-bred with domestic local
excellent breeds to cultivate a special binary cross-bred pig breed for the
production of Zhenba bacon[22].
In terms of breeding pigs, the government has guided the establishment of
standardized and large-scale binary sow breeding bases and pig breeding bases
in Zhenba County, providing pig sources for pig farms and individual households
dedicated to Zhenba bacon production.
6.2 Standardized Production and Management
The
traditional small-scale processing method of Zhenba bacon relies more on
experience, which may lead to significant differences in flavor and make it
difficult to achieve unified standards. To promote the safety and stability of
Zhenba bacon as a geographical indication product, from the quality of fresh
pork to table supply, a series of standards have been formulated. For example,
the Shaanxi Provincial Local Standard DB 61/T 460??2019 for Zhenba Bacon[23]
and the Hanzhong City Local Standard DB6107/T 15??2020 for Zhenba Bacon[24]
have put forward standardized specifications for the entire industrial chain, including
pig breeding, feed processing, pig fattening in pigsties, prevention and
control of pig diseases, bacon processing technology, packaging,
transportation, storage of bacon, and after-sales service management, ensuring
the high quality of Zhenba bacon.
6.3 Intellectual Property Protection and Full-chain
Traceability of Products
Since
Zhenba bacon was approved as a geographical indication product in 2010, Zhenba
County has taken a number of measures, e.g., exploring the stories and promoting
the historical and cultural connotations of Zhenba bacon to expand the brand
and influence of ??Zhenba bacon??. A trademark for ??Zhenba bacon?? has been
designed (Figure 9), and a public solicitation for the product packaging design
of ??Zhenba bacon?? has been carried out. Unified management is implemented for
packaging design, printing, use, and destruction to ensure the standardized and
legal use of the trademark. Illegal use and other infringement acts, as well as
counterfeiting and shoddy products, are severely cracked down on in accordance
with the law[25].

Figure
9 Zhenba bacon trademark
|
To further enhance
the brand value and ensure product quality, making the entire bacon processing
chain open and transparent, the ??Construction Plan for the Quality and Safety
Traceability System of the Whole Industry Chain of Zhenba Bacon?? was formulated.
The geographical environment of the production area, pig breeding, inspection
and quarantine, production and processing, warehousing and sales, as well as
consumer feedback information are all digitized and archived. An identity
certification was customized for each piece of Zhenba bacon, and a traceability
code was attached to achieve traceability supervision of the entire industry
chain of Zhenba bacon. This enables the origin to be traced, the destination to
be tracked, the process to be controlled, the result to be evaluated, and the
responsibility to be investigated, thus enhancing consumers?? awareness and
trust in Zhenba bacon. In 2022, the ??Creating the Zhenba Bacon Geographical Indication
Certification Mark + Standard + Traceability Model?? declared by
the Zhenba County Market Supervision and Administration
Bureau was selected as an excellent case of trademark brand construction by the
National Intellectual Property Administration[25?C27].
In 2024, the brand value of ??Zhenba Bacon?? had reached 469 million CNY.
6.4 Development of New Products
Due to the homogeneous
product offerings of the traditional bacon industry, it is difficult to meet
the needs of various consumer groups. Therefore, the market supervision
department of Zhenba County, through means such as market research and big-data
screening, has accurately identified the market positioning, refined consumer
groups in response to the fast-paced development of society. Through
cooperation with universities and research institutions such as Northwest
A&F University and Shaanxi University of Technology, it has explored
low-temperature anti-corrosion and preservation technologies and increased
efforts in the development of new products. After active exploration and
efforts, a variety of small-packaged ready-to-eat products and semi-finished
products that can be heated and eaten immediately
have been launched on the market, such as portable sausage, ready-to-eat bacon
shreds, dried-tofu and bacon sausage, bacon bibimbap sauce, and semi-heated
bacon rice.
7 Discussion and Conclusion
Zhenba
bacon was registed as a geographical indication product, which benefits from
the local special geographical terrain, excellent climate conditions,
long-standing cultural history of bacon, and unique flavor and quality. To
ensure the sustainable development of the Zhenba bacon industry, the local
government has implemented a series of measures in aspects such as local
environmental protection, primary agricultural product production, pig breeding
and feeding, bacon processing and packaging, brand establishment and promotion,
and product traceability, accumulating experience in sustainable development.
At present, there are 8 bacon processing enterprises certified with food
production licenses, 18 small-scale bacon processing workshops, and 35 exclusive
breeding bases in Zhenba County, driving more than 8,000 jobs, with an annual
production capacity of over 5,000 tons, and the comprehensive output value of
the whole industry chain approaching 1 billion CNY[28].
The construction of the GIES case dataset on Zhenba bacon from the northern subtropical
mountains will also promote the Zhenba bacon industry to develop in a more
scientific and productive direction. At the same time, new requirements have
been put forward. For example, in the pig-breeding process, how to more
reasonably handle pig manure, improve utilization efficiency, reduce environmental
pollution, and achieve the development of circular economy? How to strengthen cooperation
with research institutions to identify the unique flavor substances of Zhenba
bacon and provide a basis for the traceability of Zhenba bacon? Limited by the
lack of refrigeration and preservation technologies in the past, the
traditional processing technology has a long smoking time to reduce the
moisture content, making the bacon taste unsatisfactory, which restricts the
consumption of bacon products. How to further improve and upgrade the production
process and develop a more green, better flavor, and sensory properties of
Zhenba bacon products, which need further exploration.
Author Contributions
Liu, R., Zhu, L. X., Chen, Y. H. and Li, C. Y. designed the
algorithms of the dataset. Liu, R., Wu, G. F., Li, Y. M. and Wang, X. B. conducted
field investigations for the case study; Ran, W. and Wang, C. W. collected
samples of soil, water, agricultural products, wild plants, fresh meat, and
bacon in Zhenba County, and then conducted comprehensive laboratory analysis;
Ma, X. W. and Lu, H. Z. provided expert guidance on pig breeding practices and
the flavor development process in bacon production, respectively; Yao, X. K.
and Yu, S. J. wrote the data paper. Liu, C. participated in the preliminary field investigations and
finalized the data verification and manuscript review. Jiang, Z. C. conducted
analyses of the topography and vegetation coverage.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the Government of Zhenba
County, as well as the Zhenba County Development and Reform Bureau, Zhenba County Agriculture and Rural Bureau, Zhenba
County Market Supervision and Administration Bureau, and the Zhenba Smoked Pork
Industry Association. The research team extends their sincere thanks to all
these supporters.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no conflicts of
interest.
References
[1]
Ma, Y. C. Suggestions on the
development countermeasures of modern agriculture in Zhenba County, Shaanxi
Province under the background of rural revitalization [J]. Agricultural
Engineering, 2023, 13(1): 157?C160.
[2]
Liu, R., Yu, S. J., Zhu, L. X.,
et al. GIES case dataset on Zhenba bacon from the northern subtropical mountains
[J/DB/OL]. Digital Journal of Global Change Data Repository, 2024.
https://doi.org/10.3974/ geodb.2024.11.03.V1.
https://cstr.escience.org.cn/CSTR:20146.11.2024.11.03.V1.
[3]
GCdataPR Editorial Office. GCdataPR data sharing policy [OL].
https://doi.org/10.3974/dp.policy.2014.05 (Updated 2017).
[4]
Zhenba County Local Chronicles
Compilation Committee. Zhenba County Chronicles (1991?C2010) [M]. Xi??an: Shaanxi
People??s Publishing House, 2020.
[5]
Jiang, Z. C., Shi, R. X., Liu,
C. Elevation cluster dataset of Zhenba County, Shaanxi Province of China
[J/DB/OL]. Digital Journal of Global Change Data Repository, 2024.
https://doi.org/10.3974/geodb.2024. 11.02.V1.
[6]
Jiang, Z. C., Shi, R. X., Liu,
C. Land slope cluster and aspect dataset of Zhenba County, Shaanxi Province of
China [J/DB/OL]. Digital Journal of Global Change Data Repository, 2024.
https://doi.org/10.3974/ geodb.2024.10.05.V1.
[7]
State Environmental Protection
Administration, General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and
Quarantine of the P. R. China. Environmental quality standards for surface
water (GB 3838??2002) [S]. Beijing: China Environmental Science Press, 2002.
[8]
Ministry of Ecology and
Environment of the P. R. China, State Administration for Market Regulation.
Soil environmental quality risk control standard for soil contamination of
agricultural land (Trial) (GB 15618??2018) [S]. Beijing: China Environment Publishing
Group, 2018.
[9]
Zhang, S. M. Investigation
report on Iberian Black Pig in Spain [J]. Swine Industry Science, 2018,
35(4): 132?C134.
[10] National Health Commission of the People??s Republic of China, State
Administration for Market Regulation. National food safety standard??maximum
levels of contaminants in food (GB 2762??2022) [S]. Beijing: Standards Press of
China, 2022.
[11] Chen, X. Y., Tang, Y. P., Hu, X. Y., et al. Research and
popularization application of the selective breeding of hybrid combinations of
pigs specialized for Zhenba bacon [J]. Contemporary Animal Husbandry,
2022(6): 33?C35.
[12] Zhang, Z. Z., Cheng, K. F., Chen, R. R. Relying on resource
advantages and modern science and technology to fully promote the pig industry
in Zhenba County to a higher level [J]. Agriculture and Technology,
2013, 33(9): 165.
[13]
Ministry of Agriculture and
Rural Affairs of the P. R. China. Announcement No. 250 of the Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People??s Republic of China [OL].
http://www.moa.gov.cn/gk/tzgg_1/ gg/202001/t20200106_6334375.htm.
[14] Zuo, Y., Zhu, L. X., Lu, H. Z., et al. Changes in the
microbial composition and diversity during the production of Zhenba bacon [J]. Meat
Research, 2023, 37(5): 1?C10.
[15]
Ning, B., Zuo, Y., Wang, L., et
al. The potential correlation between the succession of microflora and volatile
flavor compounds during the production of Zhenba bacon [J]. Food Chemistry:
X, 2024, 22: 101478.
[16] Zhu, L. X., Li, C. Y., Meng, Y. F., et al. Analysis of the
changes in volatile flavor components during the storage of Zhenba bacon based
on Gas Chromatography-Ion Mobility Spectrometry [J]. Journal of Food Safety
and Quality, 2022, 13(15): 4832?C4839.
[17]
Xi, L. J., Zhang, J., Wu, R. X., et
al. Characterization of the volatile compounds of Zhenba
bacon at different process stages using GC-MS and
GC-IMS [J]. Foods, 2021, 10(11): 2869.
[18] Yang, Y. F., Li, P., Cheng, J., et al. Using untargeted
metabolomics and GC-IMS to analysis the influence of fat distribution on the
flavor formation of bacon [J]. Food Bioscience, 2024, 59: 103986.
[19] Mao, Y. L., Zhou, J., Chen, K., et al. Research progress on
the metabolic mechanism and nutritional function of Diacylglycerol [J]. China
Oils and Fats, 2023, 48(11): 80?C89.
[20] National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People??s
Republic of China. National food safety standard??cured meat products (GB2730??2015) [S]. Beijing: Standards Press
of China, 2015.
[21] Zhenba County Local Chronicles Compilation Committee Office. Zhenba
Yearbook 2023 [M]. Xi??an: Sanqin Press, 2023.
[22] Zhu, L. X., Yong, X. L., Zhang, L. Research report on the
development of Zhenba bacon industry [J]. Agriculture and Technology,
2019, 39(17): 58?C60.
[23] Shaanxi Administration for Market Regulation. Geographical indication
product Zhenba bacon (DB61/T 460??2019) [S]. Xi??an:
Shaanxi Administration for Market Regulation, 2019. https://dbba.sacinfo. org.cn/stdDetail/1d022625b873b1058da8c19eadb17ae6c3a46a03ba989ca1f01f799185d78307.
[24] Hanzhong Administration for Market Regulation, Zhenba Administration for
Market Regulation, Collegeof Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F
University. Series standards of Zhenba bacon (DB6107/T 15??2020) [S]. Hanzhong:
Hanzhong Administration for Market Regulation, 2020. http://www.z8lr. com/standard.
[25] Cheng, D. Let good products ??speak?? for themselves??Zhenba County,
Shaanxi Province builds a quality and safety traceability system for the whole
industry chain of Zhenba bacon [J]. China Quality and Technical Supervision,
2019(11): 60?C61.
[26] Liu, J. Q. Qinba bacon fragrance, a prosperous industry enriching farmers [N]. Hanzhong Daily, 2023-08-12 (003).
[27] Zhu, L. X., Duan, M. M. Strong protection and application, thick
Qinba bacon hometown flavor [N]. China Intellectual Property News, 2024-06-12(004).
[28] Shanhe. Hanzhong develops the
??Geographical indication certification Mark+Standards+Traceability?? model to
promote high-quality development of the Zhenba bacon industry [OL].
ishaanxi.com: Hanzhong, 2024. https://www.ishaanxi.com/c/2024/0407/3113138.shtml.