Influence of sodium chloride on muscle UV autofluorescence characteristics

Salted and tumbled pork teres major muscle samples, with varying sodium chloride content (1.1 % to 1.9 %), were examined by UV fluorescence spectroscopy. Results indicated that muscle fluorescence varies with salt level as a consequence of the protein denaturation state. The 1.5 % NaCl level was the threshold beyond which the fluorescence properties no longer changed markedly. Changes in muscle fluorescence do not appear to be linearly related to salt levels. Hence, we explored whether the change in fluorescence relies on other factors relating to the variability of carcass characteristics and on muscle physicochemical changes that are partly dependent on stress response and on postmortem metabolism evolution.