Effect of immersion in low-pH solution on physicochemical properties of high-pH venison

The color of venison observed at a high-pH is not preferred by consumers. However, the physicochemical properties of venison soaked in a low-pH solution to lower its high-pH are unknown. We investigated the effect of immersion in a low-pH solution on the physicochemical properties of a high-pH venison. The pH of M. longissimus thoracis from seven female wild deer (Cervus nippon) was measured and divided into normal-pH venison and high-pH venison groups. The a* and b* values for high-pH venison were lower than those for normal-pH venison before storage. There was no significant difference in the pH between high-pH venison immersed in a pH 4 solution and normal-pH venison stored. The drip loss of immersed high-pH venison was significantly lower than that of normal-pH venison and high-pH venison. Cooking loss and total loss were the lowest for normal-pH venison and the highest for immersed high-pH venison. The maximum load between normal-pH venison, high-pH venison, and immersed high-pH venison did not differ significantly. Our work showed that meat color became favorable by immersing high-pH venison in a solution of pH 4, followed by heating.