Estimation of pork quality traits using exsanguination blood and postmortem muscle metabolites.
The current study was designed to estimate the pork quality traits using metabolites from exsanguination blood and postmortem muscle simultaneously under the Korean standard pre- and post-slaughter conditions. A total of 111 Yorkshire (pure breed and castrated male) pigs were evaluated under the Korean standard conditions. Measurements were taken of the levels of blood glucose and lactate at exsanguination, and muscle glycogen and lactate content at 45 min and 24 h postmortem. Certain pork quality traits were also evaluated. Correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis including stepwise regression were performed. Exsanguination blood glucose and lactate levels were positively correlated with each other, negatively related to postmortem muscle glycogen content and positively associated with postmortem muscle lactate content. A rapid and extended postmortem glycolysis was associated with high levels of blood glucose and lactate, with high muscle lactate content, and with low muscle glycogen content during postmortem. In addition, these were also correlated with paler meat color and reduced water holding capacity. The results of multiple regression analyses also showed that metabolites in exsanguination blood and postmortem muscle explained variations in pork quality traits. Especially, levels of blood glucose and lactate and content of muscle glycogen at early postmortem were significantly associated with an elevated early glycolytic rate. Furthermore, muscle lactate content at 24 h postmortem alone accounted for a considerable portion of the variation in pork quality traits. Based on these results, the current study confirmed that the main factor influencing pork quality traits is the ultimate lactate content in muscle via postmortem glycolysis, and that levels of blood glucose and lactate at exsanguination and contents of muscle glycogen and lactate at postmortem can explain a large portion of the variation in pork quality even under the standard slaughter conditions.
Department of Food Bioscience and Technology, Korea University, Seoul 136-701, Korea.
J H
JH
Choe
Department of Food Bioscience and Technology, Korea University, Seoul 136-701, Korea.
M H
MH
Choi
College of Applied Life Sciences, Sustainable Agriculture Research Institute, Jeju National University, Jeju 690-756, Korea .
Y C
YC
Ryu
Department of Food and Nutrition, Kookmin University, Seoul 136-702, Korea .
G W
GW
Go
Department of Animal Sciences and Biotechnology, KyungPook National University, Sangju 742-711, Korea .
Y M
YM
Choi
Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management, Ewha University, Seoul 120-750, Korea .
S H
SH
Lee
Division of Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 136-701, Korea .
K S
KS
Lim
Division of Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 136-701, Korea .
E A
EA
Lee
Division of Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 136-701, Korea .
J H
JH
Kang
Division of Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 136-701, Korea .
K C
KC
Hong
Department of Food Bioscience and Technology, Korea University, Seoul 136-701, Korea.
B C
BC
Kim
Exsanguination; Glucose; Glycogen; Lactate; Pork Quality; Postmortem Glycolysis