ISSN:
1750-3841
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
,
Process Engineering, Biotechnology, Nutrition Technology
Notes:
The chemical changes occurring from 0 to 24 and/or 48 hr post-mortem were followed in longissimus dorsi muscle from 18 pork carcasses. In an attempt to induce soft, watery pork, one side from each of 13 carcasses was placed at 37°C immediately after slaughter, and the other side of each carcass was subjected to -29°C. Values for pH, glycogen, total reducing sugars, and lactic acid differed markedly at 0 time. Carcasses from Poland China pigs showed a stoichiometric relationship between the post-mortem decrease in glycogen and the corresponding accumulation of lactic acid and total reducing sugars. This relationship was less apparent in Hampshire pigs. The 37°C treatment did not consistently result in soft, watery and pale muscle, as was expected from other reports. This suggests that exposure of muscle to a low pH at a high temperature per se does not necessarily cause the soft, watery, and pale appearance. A loss in fibrillar water-binding capacity as a result of low pH values and high muscle temperatures confirmed earlier investigations. However, the decrease in fibrillar water-binding capacity as a result of the low pH at high muscle temperatures did not usually make the muscle appear soft and watery. Results indicate that even though a loss in fibrillar water-binding capacity occurs as a consequence of a low pH and high temperature, and is a characteristic frequently encountered in soft, watery muscle, low fibrillar water-binding capacity by itself is not the primary causal factor in making pork muscle appear soft and watery. Post-mortem levels of ATP, creatine phosphate, lactic acid, total reducing sugars and glycogen are reported and compared with literature values.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1966.tb15407.x
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