부산대학교 도서관

This study was carried out to investigate the influence of pH on the Berkshire's pork longissimus dorsi muscle, by comparing physicochemical characteristics in a high pH group (5.92 ± 0.02) and a low pH group (5.55 ± 0.03) on the basis of muscle pH24 h post-mortem. Fifteen pigs were assigned to each group (n = 15). The low pH group showed higher filter-paper fluid uptake, cooking loss and National Pork Producers Council marbling scores but did not significantly differ from the high pH group (P > 0.05). The low pH group also showed higher Commission International de l'Eclairage L * and b *, drip loss, and shearing forces were significantly different from the high pH group. However, Commission International de l'Eclairage meat colour value (a *) and National Pork Producers Council colour were higher in the high pH group. The content of glutamic acid, threonine, and serine amino acids associated with a good flavour was higher in the high pH group. Also, amino acids associated with a bitter or poor flavour, such as valine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, and histidine, was higher in the high pH group as well. The taste of umami was significantly (P < 0.01) higher in the high pH group. Levels of the nucleotide compounds hypoxanthine and inosine tended to be higher (P < 0.05) in the high pH group, whereas adenosine diphosphate levels were increased in the low pH group (P < 0.05). It is concluded that pH of pork could be a good indicator of pork quality and related to factors influencing pork eating quality. As pH of pork is not only positively associated with physical traits of pork but also closely related to chemical traits of which higher free amino acids and nucleotides enhance pork quality. Post-mortem pH has been implicated as a major factor affecting pork quality. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of muscle pH on pork quality and to identify some relationships with eating quality using physical and chemical characteristics of pork. Results suggest that the muscle pH might be an indicator of pork quality and flavour that is affected by pH, water-holding capacity, nucleotides, free amino acids, fatty acids, and the interactions among these constituents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]