Effect of Dry Aging of Pork on Microbiological Quality and Instrumental Characteristics

Meat aging is an important process that affects the quality of meat and is traditionally used mainly for beef. However, in recent years, there has been an increasing demand for pork products subjected to dry aging. The aim of this study was to compare selected parameters (microbiological quality, instrumental analyses of texture and color of meat, weight loss) of pork neck and loin with bone and skin together subjected to dry aging for 14 days. The microbiological profile (total viable psychrotrophic count, Enterobacteriaceae, psychrotrophic lactic acid bacteria, Pseudomonas spp.) on the surface of the meat with the skin and the lateral cutting surfaces without skin was compared on the first day after slaughter and after 14 days of dry aging. The results of this study demonstrated that dry aging did not significantly deteriorate the microbiological profile. Statistically significant weight losses were observed after 14 days of aging. The dry aging of pork had no significant effect on lightness (L*), redness (a*), and shear force. Significant differences were observed for yellowness (b*) and meat hardness (p < 0.05).