The use of muscle enzymes as predictors of pork meat quality

Muscle endo-protease (calpains and cathepsins) and exo-protease (dipeptidyl -peptidases and aminopeptidases) activities were assayed at 2 h post-mortem in different meat qualities (PSE, RSE, RFN and DFD). The sensory character istics of the different pork meat qualities were also evaluated in order to correlate them to the proteolytic activity. The assay of aminopeptidase an d dipeptidylpeptidase activities (AAP, RAP, LAP, DPPI and DPPIV) at 2 h pos t-mortem discriminate between exudative and non-exudative classes explainin g 74.6% of the variability. Also, at 24 h post-mortem 71.2% of the variabil ity was detected by the measurement of PGAP, AAP, RAP, DPPII and DPPIV. The refore, the exoprotease activities can constitute a novel and adequate tech nique to predict early post-mortem pork meat quality allowing its assay til l 24 h post-mortem because of the good stability of the enzymes during this post-mortem time. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.