Abstract
The current study was designed to estimate the pork quality traits using metabolites from exsanguination blood and postmortem muscle simultaneously under the Korean standard pre- and post-slaughter conditions. A total of 111 Yorkshire (pure breed and castrated male) pigs were evaluated under the Korean standard conditions. Measurements were taken of the levels of blood glucose and lactate at exsanguination, and muscle glycogen and lactate content at 45 min and 24 h postmortem. Certain pork quality traits were also evaluated. Correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis including stepwise regression were performed. Exsanguination blood glucose and lactate levels were positively correlated with each other, negatively related to postmortem muscle glycogen content and positively associated with postmortem muscle lactate content. A rapid and extended postmortem glycolysis was associated with high levels of blood glucose and lactate, with high muscle lactate content, and with low muscle glycogen content during postmortem. In addition, these were also correlated with paler meat color and reduced water holding capacity. The results of multiple regression analyses also showed that metabolites in exsanguination blood and postmortem muscle explained variations in pork quality traits. Especially, levels of blood glucose and lactate and content of muscle glycogen at early postmortem were significantly associated with an elevated early glycolytic rate. Furthermore, muscle lactate content at 24 h postmortem alone accounted for a considerable portion of the variation in pork quality traits. Based on these results, the current study confirmed that the main factor influencing pork quality traits is the ultimate lactate content in muscle via postmortem glycolysis, and that levels of blood glucose and lactate at exsanguination and contents of muscle glycogen and lactate at postmortem can explain a large portion of the variation in pork quality even under the standard slaughter conditions.
Highlights
IntroductionTechnological meat quality includes meat color, water
Blood glucose level was negatively related to muscle glycogen content at postmortem (i.e. 45 min and 24 h postmortem) but positively correlated with muscle lactate content at postmortem
Blood lactate level was negatively related to muscle glycogen content at 45 min postmortem and positively correlated with muscle lactate content at postmortem
Summary
Technological meat quality includes meat color, water. Measurement of postmortem muscle glycogen and lactate content could help to explain variations in postmortem glycolysis and subsequently pork quality (Kocwin-Podsiadla et al, 2006). Ryu et al (2005) and Choe et al (2008) showed that higher contents of muscle glycogen and lactate at early postmortem was related to paler color and higher drip loss of pork Measurement of postmortem muscle glycogen and lactate content could help to explain variations in postmortem glycolysis and subsequently pork quality (Kocwin-Podsiadla et al, 2006). Ryu et al (2005) and Choe et al (2008) showed that higher contents of muscle glycogen and lactate at early postmortem was related to paler color and higher drip loss of pork
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