Influence on meat colour of spray-chilling the surface of pig carcasses

The present study examines the influence of spray-chilling on the surface colour of the musculature, skin and spinal spongiosa of swine carcass halves. Thirty swine halves, of the commercial classification U, were divided into six experimental groups and chilled under varying conditions over a period of 20 h. Three of the experimental groups were sprayed periodically with 810 g drinking water within a 4-h chilling phase. The other three served as unsprayed control groups. Oxygenation of the myoglobin to oxymyoglobin was accelerated by spraying the surface of the musculature. Spray-chilling conditions had no influence on the formation of metmyoglobin. The colour of the sprayed ham musculature became lighter after 4 h of chilling. Red- and yellow-values decreased. There were no significant differences in the colour values after 20 h of chilling. The surface of the skin became lighter after spray-chilling. The spraying had no influence on the colour of the spinal spongiosa.