title: The relationship of pork longissimus muscle pH to mitochondrial respiratory activities, meat quality and muscle structure.
abstract: The way the pH falls post-slaughter has an impact on meat quality. Pork longissimus muscles (n=48) were sorted in fast- (FG) (n=15) and normal glycolysing (NG) (n=33) muscles according to the post-slaughter pH 45 min values (FG<6.0; NG>6.0). FG muscles (5.84±0.04) compared with NG muscles (6.27±0.04) were accompanied with higher temperature, electrical conductivity, lightness and yellowness, and reduced grill loss and shear force values (P<0.05), but there were no pH-dependent changes of the drip loss and redness results. FG muscles had higher (P<0.05) percentages of fast-twitch glycolytic and lower proportions of fast-twitch oxidative and slow-twitch oxidative (P<0.05) muscle fibres. The study confirms the relationship of pH value to meat quality and muscle fibre characteristics also showing that pH values have no impact on intrinsic mitochondrial respiratory function.
authors.affiliation: 1Institute of Food Quality and Food Safety,University of Veterinary Medicine,Bischofsholer Damm 15,D-30173 Hannover,Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Popp
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Animal Sciences,Georg-August-University Goettingen,Albrecht-Thaer-Weg 3,D-37075 Goettingen,Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wicke
authors.affiliation: 1Institute of Food Quality and Food Safety,University of Veterinary Medicine,Bischofsholer Damm 15,D-30173 Hannover,Germany.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.affiliation: 1Institute of Food Quality and Food Safety,University of Veterinary Medicine,Bischofsholer Damm 15,D-30173 Hannover,Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Krischek
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006019:Glycolysis; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008460:Meat / Q000592:standards*; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D013552:Swine / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: meat quality; mitochondrial respiratory activity; muscle structure; pH value; pig