Authors
Title
Abstract
The experimental materials comprised samples of the longest lumbar muscle (m. longissimus lumborum) taken from 60 carcasses of fatteners showing live weights of approximately 105 kg, and characterized by a normal quality. Totally, 120 samples were taken, each sample weighing about 500 g. The initial 60 samples were cut out from hot left half carcasses after about 1 hour following slaughter. The remaining 60 samples were taken from right half carcasses chilled at 2°C for 24 hours. Then, the two batches of samples were divided into two groups. The first group was designed for freezing in liquid nitrogen, and the second group – also for freezing, but in a traditional ventilation tunnel. After a period of two weeks, and, next, of six months of freezing storage of pork meat, samples were collected for the purpose of laboratory analyses. It was stated that the non-chilled pork meat (straight upon the slaughter of animals) if frozen in liquid nitrogen, and stored for two weeks, had a higher pH value and better sensory properties compared with non-chilled and chilled (upon the slaughter of animals) pork meat that was frozen in the ventilation tunnel. When a period of freezing storage was prolonged up to six months, the acidity value of meat gradually increased, and differences in the sensory quality of samples frozen in liquid nitrogen and by the ventilation method at a different time following slaughter became less perceptible.
Keywords
pork meat, time point of freezing following slaughter, freezing methods, time of freezing storage, sensory quality