DIFFERENCES IN FAT QUALITY, TENDERNESS AN D COMPOSITION OF RAW, ROASTED AND GRILLED PORK LOIN CHOPS OBTAINED FROM DIFFERENT MEAT BRANDS

Three loin chops obtained from each of a total of 180 pigs within one slaughter house either were left raw or were roasted at 120-degrees-C for 12 min or simultaneously grilled on both sides at 180-degrees-C fo r 6 min, respectively. Four different groups of 45 animals each were e mployed: pigs of conventional origin, pigs from a meat brand basing on animal welfare principles (Neuland) and pigs from two sub-systems of another commercial meat brand (Pigour) among others using higher conte nts of medium chain fatty acids in the feed. With the less intensive r oasting, lower cooking losses and shear forces were observed as compar ed to grilling. The final intramuscular fat content was almost twice a s high as the initial value of 1.3% with both cooking procedures. In s ubcutaneous back fat, cooking resulted in a highly significant reducti on of the proportion of the polyenic acids which, however, was of only low numerical extent. The induction period till fat oxidation was sig nificantly increased by 25% with roasting and by 8% with grilling. The clear differences in the quality of the raw chops obtained from the d ifferent origins could be almost completely recovered in the cooked ch ops.