The eating quality of Canadian pork and its relationship with intramuscular fat

• Published in: Meat science 2005-02, Vol.69 (2), p.297-305
• Main Authors: Fortin, A., Robertson, W.M., Tong, A.K.W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; carcass composition; Eating attributes; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gender differences; IMF; juiciness; lipid content; loins (meat cut); longissimus dorsi; Meat and meat product industries; meat quality; meat tenderness; mouthfeel; off flavors; pork; Pork loin; sensory properties; shear strength; texture; Threshold
• ISSN: 0309-1740; 1873-4138
• DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2004.07.011

This study was undertaken to assess the effect of various levels of intramuscular fat (IMF: 0.05); flavour intensity, 0.24 ( P = 0.02); off-flavour, 0.13 ( P > 0.05); mouth coating, 0.13 ( P > 0.05); amount of perceptible connective tissue, −0.02 ( P > 0.05), and instrumental tenderness (Warner–Bratzler shear force), −0.41 ( P < 0.001). As tenderness is considered the most important attribute that determines overall acceptance of pork, the threshold level of IMF for ensuring a positive eating experience was identified as a function of the attributes describing tenderness. Increasing the level of IMF past 1.5% did not change ( P < 0.05) the panelists scores for softness and initial tenderness. Average shear force, an instrumental measure of tenderness, was higher ( P < 0.05) at less than 1% IMF but did not change past 1.0% IMF ( P > 0.05). It is proposed that the threshold level of IMF that will ensure a pleasing eating experience is 1.5% IMF.