FOOD. Science. Technology. Quality

Food. SCIENCE. Technology. Quality

Food. Science. TECHNOLOGY. Quality

Food. Science. Technology. QUALITY

Authors

SALOMEA GRAJEWSKA, MARIA BOCIAN

Title

Plasticity of a raw pork meat as the quality index of meat in pigs with different RYR1 gene status

Abstract

The objective of the study was to evaluate the correlation between meat plasticity and some slaughter traits & meticulously assessed quality traits of meat in slaughter pigs with regard to their RYR1 genotype. It was assumed that the proteolytic processes occurring during the animal growth, and determining the meat deposition may also affect the post mortem protein changes and meat rheological properties, which are described as the meat plasticity. The investigation comprised 432 pigs: 43.3% thereof were NN homozygotes, 40.0% were Nn heterozygotes, and 16.7 % were stress susceptible nn homozygotes. Animals from the two groups NN and Nn had significantly higher daily gains than animals from the third nn group (P ≤ 0.01). Similarly, the backfat thickness was higher in NN and in Nn if compared with nn pigs (2.50 and 2.64 versus 2.21 cm; P ≤ 0.01). On the other hand, the leaness was the lowest in NN pigs (50.2%), medium in Nn pigs (52.5 %), and the highest in nn pigs (58.4%; P ≤ 0.01). In the case of meat plasticity (2.17, 1.99, and 1.75 cm2; P ≤ 0.01), it was proved that individual genotype groups of pigs showed highly significant differences in this parameter and in the majority of meat quality traits under investigation. The computed correlations between meat plasticity and other meat traits, both within the genotype group (rw) and the overall (ro) population, displayed many highly significant interrelations. The meat plasticity parameter was negatively correlated with the leaness (ro = – 0.215xx), and this fact may support the opinion as expressed by other authors on the significant role of enzymes inhibiting protein degradation during the growth and, leading last of all, to a less tender meat. All the overall correlation coefficients between the meat plasticity and other meat traits were significant; however, in many cases, the correlations within the NN pig groups were insignificant. Furthermore, in this group of pigs (NN), no significant correlation between the meat plasticity and pH1, colour saturation & lightness was stated; this fact could point out that a drop in the pH value in muscle tissues did not inhibit the post mortem proteolytic processes. The present investigation and the results obtained emphasize the significant role of measuring the meat plasticity parameter while assessing the quality and predicting the tenderness of meat.

Keywords

pigs, RYR1, meat quality, plasticity

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