Processing Wiltshire bacon from PSE‐prone pigs

Abstract

SummaryThe utilization of PSE‐prone pigs for bacon manufacture by the traditional Wiltshire process has been investigated. Pietrain pigs, well‐known for their high incidence of PSE muscle were used in this study. Carcasses, selected as PSE on the basis of their low pH soon after slaughter, were subjected to a normal factory Wiltshire curing process alongside Large White bacon pigs with normal muscle. In another investigation, over a period of several months, pig carcasses selected in the same way for PSE characteristics were processed alongside pigs from the same producer's consignment with similar grading characteristics, but with normal rates of pH fall after slaughter.Weight changes during processing were recorded and showed that in both cases muscle from the pigs with rapid pH falls initially absorbed more of the injected brine, but also tended to lose liquid more easily during immersion curing. The yield of bacon from these carcasses was up to 1% lower than that from normal carcasses. While bacon from these pigs and from normal pigs differed slightly in chemical composition, trained taste panels were not able to establish any real difference in either texture or flavour.