INFLUENCE OF MARINADE PH ON MUSCLE-FIBER AREA AND WATER-HOLDING CAPACITY OF RAW PORCINE LONGISSIMUS-DORSI MUSCLE

It is well known that the pH of meat affects quality traits such as wa ter-holding capacity, texture arid tenderness. This knowledge is appli ed in sour marination, for example. One reason for marinating meat is to improve its tenderness and juiciness. In this way, tough meat of po orer quality can be upgraded. The purpose of the present study was to ascertain how incubation buffers ranging from extremely low to high pH values affect the muscle fibre cross-sectional area and water-holding capacity of raw park of normal quality, and also of meat cooked after marination. The results of this study clearly illustrate the importan ce of pH-value to swelling capacity and hence the water-holding capaci ty of normal raw meat and of meat cooked after marination. In addition an increase in the mean fibre cross-sectional area was found in both raw and cooked meat, even though the effect of pH on cross-sectional a rea was less marked than on swelling. In swelling, both longitudinal a nd radial changes in the fibre are included, whereas when measuring fi bre cross-sectional area, only the radial change is taken into account .