title: A repeat national survey (ten years on) of muscle pH values in commercial bacon carcasses.
abstract: Measurements of M. longissimus pH values at 45 min post mortem (pH(1)) were taken in a total of 5383 commercial bacon weight carcasses at fourteen bacon factories and meat plants in 1980/81. Comparable pH(2) values at 24 h post mortem were taken in a further 5150 carcasses. The overall mean pH(1) was 6·38 ± 0·29 (SD) with 12·8% of values less than 6·0. The overall mean pH(2) was 5·91 ± 0·18 with 0·6% of values greater than 6·5. Relationships between pH values and carcass weight, fat thickness and length were very low (maximum r = 0·05). Comparison of the results with a similar survey conducted in 1972/73 indicated that the proportion of carcasses with pH(1) values less than 6·0 has doubled (1972/73 result was 5·7%). The proportion of carcasses with high pH(2) values changed little.
authors: Meat and Livestock Commission, PO Box 44, Queensway House, Bletchley, Milton Keynes MK2 2EF, Great Britain.
authors: J P
authors: JP
authors: Chadwick
authors: A J
authors: AJ
authors: Kempster