Determination of pH in meat

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Meat Science

Background:

• Accurate pH measurement is crucial for meat quality assessment.
• Variability in pH determination methods can impact results and interpretations.
• Standardization is needed for reliable meat pH analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare electrometric pH measurement methods for beef and pork muscles.
• To evaluate the influence of different electrode systems and sample presentations on pH values.
• To identify potential improvements for harmonizing meat pH determination.

Main Methods:

• Electrometric determination of pH in 80 beef and 120 pork muscle samples.
• Comparison of various electrode systems.
• Assessment of different sample presentations: direct muscle, meat-water mixture, and meat homogenate.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant differences (p < 0.001) in pH values were observed across methods.
• Differences attributed to electrode systems were more pronounced than those from sample presentations.
• Repeatability for individual methods was found to be low.

Conclusions:

• No single electrometric pH measurement method was definitively superior for meat analysis.
• Significant variations exist between different electrode systems and sample preparations.
• Further harmonization and standardization of meat pH measurement techniques are essential.