title: The rate of metmyoglobin formation in beef, pork, and turkey meat as influenced by pH, sodium chloride, and sodium tripolyphosphate.
abstract: This study investigated the effects of pH (5·5 to 7·0), sodium chloride concentration (0·0-3·0%), and sodium tripolyphosphate concentration (0·0 and 0·5%) on the rate of metmyoglobin formation in ground beef, pork and turkey meat during refrigerated storage. Increasing the sodium chloride concentration produced a progressive increase in the rate of metmyoglobin formation in ground beef. Increasing the pH between pH 5·5 and 6·5 had no effect on the rate of metmyoglobin formation with ground beef and turkey meat, but produced a marked decrease between pH 6·5 and 7·0. In contrast pH had no consistent effect on the rate of metmyoglobin formation of ground pork and the rate of formation remained low at all pH levels. When ground beef contained 0·5% sodium tripolyphosphate, the effect of pH was reversed and the rate of metmyoglobin formation was lowest at pH 5·5, increased as the pH increased to 6·5 and then plateaued.
authors: Department of Animal and Dairy Science, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36849, USA.
authors: G R
authors: GR
authors: Trout