Effect of Porcine Muscle Conditions on the Color of Cooked Cured Meat Products

Abstract

The effect of pale, soft and exudative (PSE) porcine muscles on the color of processed meat products was investigated in sausages prepared in the laboratory. Eighteen muscle samples obtained at 24hr postmortem were tested. CFR (color forming ratio) tended to decrease with decreasing pH value. Muscle samples with extreme PSE characteristics produced low CFR sausages. A significant difference was not observed in the amount of total heme pigments in normal and PSE muscle. The effect of pH (4.926.23) on laboratory sausage from normal muscle showed that CFR gradually increased at lower pH values. The PSE conditions were also simulated by incubation of normal muscle adjusted to low pH (5.45.0) for 90 min at 40°C. Laboratory sausages were prepared from the PSE-like muscle after adjustment to pH 6.0. The PSE-like muscles had changes in CFR similar to those obtained with PSE muscles. The reasons for the decrease in CFR are discussed.