Abstrakt: |
Freezing effects (-30°C 90 days) on objective measures of muscle quality, bacterial growth and retail case life of thawed pale, soft, exudative, normal and dark, firm, dry pork were determined. Small but significant interactions (P < 0.05) did not interfere with interpretation of quality group and storage treatment effects. Frozen/thawed loin chops had slightly but significantly (P < 0.05) higher pH. less expressible juice, more soluble protein and darker color than fresh pork. The lag phase of bacterial growth was shorter in frozen/thawed pork, while the generation time was unaffected (P > 0.05). Freezing/thawing significantly (P < 0.05) reduced case life due to appearance of chops but did not affect time for spoilage odors to develop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |