Microstructural manifestations of two unusual phenomena detected in experimental roast pork: A scanning and...

Loin roasts L. dorsi from both barrows and gilts from a breeding and feeding experiment were cooked, cut, presented to sensory evaluation panelists and the excess meat stored at 4°C in tied plastic bags. An interesting phenomenon observed was that a deposit remained on the cutter blade after slicing the experimental roasts, but no deposit remained in the blade after cutting control roasts. Similarly, slices of experimental roast adhered together after refrigeration, but slices of control roast stored under identical conditions did not stick together. Electron microscopic examination showed that the experimental samples were made up of three zones consisting of fat, collagen and muscle tissue. The thickness of the middle (collagen) zone varied with the sex of the animals and possibly with their genetic background. Where the experimental roast slices adhered, they always did so only at the middle collagen layer. In contrast, control samples were made up of only two layers: fat and muscle, with the collagen layer between them being absent or much reduced in thickness.