Quality of wild boar meat and commercial pork

Abstract

Presently there is a growing interest in the production and marketing of wild boar meat, and to attend a differentiated consumer demand the quality attributes of this product should be well established. To characterize the quality of wild boar meat in comparison to commercial pork, post mortem changes in the longissimus dorsi and semimembranosus muscles were determined by pH and temperature decline, and color (CIE L*a*b*) measurements. Water holding capacity (WHC) was determined by the compression method and the exudate loss (EL) by the drip loss test. Decline in longissimus dorsi muscle pH of wild boar was gradual and in the pork it was faster and more extensive. Temperature differences were observed in some post mortem times, and the lowest values were found in wild boar carcasses. Wild boar meat presented lower values of L* (brightness) and b* (yellow color intensity), and higher values of a* (red color intensity) than pork. The WHC of the wild boar meat was similar to pork, but the EL in female wild boar meat was lower than in pork.