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The chilling of carcasses.
J W Savell1, S L Mueller, B E Baird
1Meat Science Section, Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, 247 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-2471, USA.
Meat Science
|November 9, 2011
Summary
Optimizing meat quality requires careful postmortem chilling. Proper chilling prevents cold shortening in beef/lamb and pale, soft, and exudative (PSE) pork by managing muscle temperature and pH.
Area of Science:
- Meat science
- Postmortem muscle biochemistry
- Food engineering
Background:
- Muscle biochemical processes and structural changes postmortem significantly impact meat quality and palatability.
- Carcass chilling post-slaughter is a critical factor influencing these changes.
- Understanding species-specific responses to chilling is vital for optimizing meat production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the effects of postmortem chilling on meat quality, focusing on cold shortening and pale, soft, and exudative (PSE) pork.
- To evaluate various chilling strategies and their efficacy in mitigating negative meat quality attributes.
- To provide insights into optimizing chilling parameters for different meat types (beef, lamb, pork).
Main Methods:
- Review of scientific literature on postmortem muscle physiology and meat chilling technologies.
- Analysis of chilling parameters such as temperature, pH, and time for beef, lamb, and pork.
- Evaluation of alternative methods like spray chilling, delayed chilling, electrical stimulation, and alternative suspension programs.
Main Results:
- For beef and lamb, maintaining muscle temperature above 10°C until pH reaches 6.2 minimizes cold shortening.
- For pork, rapid chilling to 10°C at 12h and 2-4°C at 24h reduces PSE development.
- Spray chilling enhances cooling rates and controls shrinkage; electrical stimulation and alternative suspension can mitigate cold shortening effects.
Conclusions:
- Chilling strategies must be tailored to specific meat types to optimize quality.
- Managing temperature and pH is crucial for preventing cold shortening in red meats and PSE in pork.
- Advanced chilling techniques and interventions offer solutions for enhancing meat quality in commercial settings.
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