Effect of different drying methods on the physical properties of pork jerky

Abstract

In this experiment, two drying processes, drying oven and baking oven, were selected to investigate the effects of different drying methods on the physical properties of pork jerky by analyzing the changes of brightness value (L*), redness value (a*) and yellowness value (b*) during different drying processes, as well as the changes of myoglobin, metmyoglobin, oxymyoglobin and heme iron. Microbiological tests and experiments on the effect of storability were also conducted. The experimental results showed that the baking oven had an advantage for the retention of a*. Compared with the drying oven, the a* and b* values of dried pork in baking oven were increased and the L* values were in a stable state at the same time; its oxymyoglobin content is generally higher than the drying oven; however, its metmyoglobin content was gradually increasing, which made the meat samples poorly colored. Baking oven dried pork jerky had better results than drying oven. The results provide a theoretical basis for the quality control and efficient processing of pork jerky in the drying process.