Nauka Przyroda Technologie

2017 volume 11 issue 2 #16 , DOI: 10.17306/J.NPT.2017.2.16

Ewa Iwańska, Beata Mikołajczak, Bożena Grześ, Anita Spychaj, Edward Pospiech

The effect of the cooling rate on the glycolysis and tenderness of the pork LTL muscle

Summary.

Background. Meat quality is determined by genetic, environmental and post-mortem factors. The influence of the muscle cooling process after slaughter is also significant. Inadequate meat cooling conditions, including the cooling rate, may decrease meat tenderness. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of different cooling rates on the glycolysis and tenderness of the pork LTL muscle.

Material and methods. The longest thoracic and lumbar muscle (m. longissimus thoracis et lumborum) was used as the experimental material. It derived from 10 massive population pigs which were slaughtered under standard conditions. The muscles were cooled at three different rates: C – 0.12°C/min, FC – 0.15°C/min, VFC – 0.27°C/min. The process of glycolysis in the muscles was evaluated on the basis of the pH value after 45′, 2 h, 24 h, 48 h and 6 days and according to the content of glycogen and lactic acid after 45′, 2 h and 24 h post-mortem. Tenderness was measured on the second and sixth day on the basis of the shear force evaluations.

Results. The increase in the muscle cooling rate slowed down the process of glycolysis and deteri­orated meat tenderness.

Conclusion. Cooling muscles at a rate of 0.27°C/min caused muscle contraction, which resulted in greater meat toughness.

Key words: pork, cooling rate, glycolysis, tenderness

Full text available in Polish in Adobe Acrobat format:
https://www.npt.up-poznan.net/pub/art_11_16.pdf

Streszczenie w języku polskim:
https://www.npt.up-poznan.net/tom11/zeszyt2/streszczenie-16.html

Corresponding address:
Ewa Iwańska
Instytut Technologii Mięsa
Uniwersytet Przyrodniczy w Poznaniu
ul. Wojska Polskiego 31/33
60-624 Poznań
Poland
e-mail: eiwanska@up.poznan.pl

Accepted for print: 6.06.2017