Improving pork qualilty by use of resting, hot fat trimming, and tunnel freeze chilling

Date

1996-05

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Texas Tech University

Abstract

The accumulation of lactic acid, which results in pH decline postmortem, is a very significant change that can result in meat of high or low quality. Low quality or pale, soft, and exudative (PSE) pork is a result of a build-up of lactic acid within the muscle postmortem, coupled with a high internal temperature that ultimately leads to protein denaturation. PSE meat is pale in color because of a loss of pigmentation, is exudative because of a loss of the water and protein binding interface, and has a soft texture because of a loss of protein solubility (Judge et al., 1975).

PSE meat is costly to the industry and results in a $0.35 per head loss (Pork Chain Quality Audit, 1994). Approximately 10% of all pork is extremely PSE, and the pork industry average for PSE is between 30 and 35% with a range of 10 and 40% (Kauffman et al., 1992). The importance of PSE pork involves decreased processing yields and increased quality losses, which minimize the United States' ability to be competitive in the export of pork and in the international marketplace.

Description

Rights

Rights Availability

Unrestricted.

Keywords

Swine, Pork

Citation