Pork quality with special emphasis on colour and its changes during storage

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the quality of pork meat, including its colour after 24, 48, and 72 hours from the slaughter and its changes during storage. The meat was obtained from 52 crossbreed porkers F1 (Polish Large White x Polish Landrace), gilts and hogs in equal amounts. The assessment of the quality of the meat was performed in 48 hours after slaughter on the samples of the longissimus lumborum muscle. The meat was analysed in respect to its acidity (pH45 and pH48h), technological properties, and the level of the muscle colours. The sensory evaluation of the meat was conducted in terms of the intensity of colour, marbling, and firmness. The chemical composition of the meat and its tenderness was also evaluated. The colour of meat was measured by the use of the Minolta CR-300 apparatus in CIE L*a*b* system (L* - lightness, a* - participation of redness, b* - participation of yellowness), where the saturation of colour C* was calculated as well as the hue angle ho after 24, 48, and 72 hours from the slaughter. The changes (Δ) of colour parameters after 24 h and 48 h of storage were calculated. Results demonstrated that the examined pork had the proper technological properties, it was tender (41.93 N/cm), and low in collagen (0.89%). During the storage of meat after 24, 48, and 72 hours from the slaughter, many significant changes appeared in the parameters of meat colour that is in L*, a*, b*, in saturation with C* and in the hue h° (P<0.01). The values of colour L* were changing into lighter (P<0.01), whereas the participation of colour red a*, yellow b* and the saturation of colour C* and its hue ho showed an increasing trend during storage (P<0.01). It was noticed that there are significant correlation coefficients between the colour parameters L*, a*, b*, its saturation C*, and hue ho, and the technological quality characteristics, the sensory intensity of colour, the content of muscle pigments at 24, 48 and 72 h after slaughter (P<0.01; P<0.05).