ISSN:
1750-3841
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition
,
Process Engineering, Biotechnology, Nutrition Technology
Notes:
Relatively mild preslaughter temperature treatments, involving warm air, cold air, and cold air with an ice-water spray, were administered, singly and in various combinations, to simulate extremes in environmental conditions and fluctuations. Cold-air treatment improved mean 24-hr color-structure scores and expressible-juice ratios, although a few animals responded adversely to this treatment given singly. Improvement in these parameters was the most significant and consistent in the muscles of pigs subjected to a change from a warm-air to cold-air environment. Rate of pH decline was significantly slower (P 〈.05) in muscles of pigs from groups involving warm-to-cold treatments than in control animals. Although glycogen and lactic acid levels at death were altered by treatment, glycogen levels were decreased the most by the warm-to-cold treatments. These improvements resulting from a change in environment from warm to cold, were observed even though the treatments were not severe enough to cause a decrease in muscle temperature. Thus, a sudden change from a warm-air to a cold-air ante-mortem temperature, even when of short duration and not severe enough to reduce muscle temperature at death to levels below normal, altered the post-mortem glycolytic rate and associated properties of porcine muscle, and improved meat quality.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1965.tb01803.x
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