Causes for variation in pork quality.

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Food Science
• Meat Science

Background:

• Pork quality is influenced by pre-slaughter conditions.
• Standardized slaughter conditions minimize variation but still allow for observable effects.
• Understanding factors affecting meat quality is crucial for the pork industry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of pre-slaughter resting period and muscular contractions on pork quality.
• To identify specific factors influencing meat quality parameters like pH, temperature, and color.
• To correlate animal behavior with ultimate pork quality.

Main Methods:

• Slaughter of 260 pigs under highly standardized conditions.
• Measurement of meat quality parameters (temperature, pH, color) at specific post-mortem times.
• Observation and recording of muscular contractions during stunning, shackling, and exsanguination.

Main Results:

• A longer resting period before slaughter led to lower meat temperatures and slightly higher ultimate pH, resulting in darker pork color.
• Muscular contractions during stunning, shackling, and exsanguination negatively affected pork quality, increasing pH drop, rigor mortis, and reducing water holding capacity.
• No correlation was found between animal behavior (at fattening station or in resting pen) and ultimate pork quality.

Conclusions:

• Pre-slaughter resting duration is a significant factor in achieving desirable pork quality traits.
• Minimizing muscular contractions during the stunning process is critical for maintaining pork quality.
• Standardized slaughter protocols can reveal subtle but significant impacts of handling on meat characteristics.