THE USE OF HARPOON BIOPSY AND ELECTRIC-CO NDUCTIVITY METHODS FOR DETERMINATION OF PIG MEAT QUALITY

A total of 294 animals of 13 different genotypes were included in an e xperiment. The objective of the paper was to define three categories o f quality abnormalities in pig meat ante mortem: PSE meat, PSE-inclini ng meat and normal meat, using the method of harpoon biopsy. The quali ty of meat sampled by harpoon biopsy was evaluated by measuring the bi optate pH value in 45 minutes after sampling. Two methods were used fo r evaluation of meat quality in the animals post mortem: a method eval uating the meat quality on the basis of pH1 values in eye-muscle in 45 minutes post mortem, the other method determining the electric conduc tivity (in mS) in the eye-muscle in 50 minutes post mortem. The result s obtained by categorization on the basis of the limit values accordin g to the pH1 values of the eye-muscle show that the determined values of electric conductivity fully correspond to the limit values determin ed for this method (Latka , 1990). The pH values for the eye-muscle bi optate were relatively high, and they were decreasing with the worseni ng meat quality. As for the categorization on the basis of the limit v alues EV50, the pH values of bioptate were higher than the pH1 values of the eye-muscle. This fact was apparent in the category of PSE-incli ning meat and in normal meat. We also proposed the limit values for th e eye-muscle pH using ante mortem harpoon biopsy. The results indicate the slightly higher values of the eye-muscle pH1 than the limit value s (Pour , 1986). The value of electric conductivity (EV50) in mS for t he PSE muscle is 7.20, which is somewhat less than the value of EV50 f or the PSE muscle mentioned by the author Latka (1990). ft can be stat ed in general that the proposed categorization of the pH limit values for the eye-muscle bioptates in live pigs, that means less-than-or-equ al-to 5.8 for PSE meat, 5.85 to 6.00 for PSE-inclining meat and greate r-than-or-equal-to 6.05 for normal meat, corresponds to both methods o f pig meat defect determination. Correlation coefficients were calcula ted to confirm the conclusions. Statistical significance were demonstr ated for the correlations between eye-muscle pH1 and eye-muscle EV50 ( P less-than-or-equal-to 0.05, P less-than-or-equal-to 0.0 1). The iden tical results were also obtained for EV50 in mS and pH of the eye-musc le bioptate. The correlation relationship between the bioptate pH valu e and the pH1 value of the eye-muscle was observed only in the normal meat category. In spite of this fact the summarization of the results documents the confirmation of the pH limit values in the eye-muscle de termined by harpoon biopsy. The determination of electric conductivity can be recommended as a very accurate and promising method when the m eat quality abnormalities are determined in the eye-muscle in 50 minut es post mortem.