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Page No. : 89-94

ABSTRACT

Present investigation was designed to evaluate the effect of different handling conditions on quality of pork and pork curry. Carcass cuts from pigs of similar age (6-8 months), live weight (70-80 kg) and conformation were collected after slaughter and subjected to following treatments simulating different handling conditions viz.,T1-holding carcass cuts for 5-6 h at ambient temperature (20-250C), followed by chunking/deboning and cooking of meat; T2-holding carcass cuts for 10-12 h at ambient temperature(20-250C), followed with chunking/deboning and cooking of meat; T3-holding carcass cuts for 5-6 h at ambient temperature (20-250C) and then chunking/deboning of meat, followed by storage of deboned meat in refrigerator (410C) for 17-18 h and cooking and T4-holding carcass cuts for 5-6 h at ambient temperature (20-250C), followed by storage in refrigerator (410C) for 17-18 h and then chunking/deboning and cooking. The results revealed that temperature, pH and WHC values of raw and cooked pork decreased with increasing storage time from 5-6 h to 24 h after slaughter. Pork achieved its ultimate pH within 10-12 h of storage at ambient temperature (20-250C). Drip loss of raw meat was significantly(p<0.05) higher for T3 than T2. Total plate count increased with increasing storage time although, significantly(P<0.01) higher count were found in T2 than other treatments. The Warner-Bratzler shear force value and sensory scores of cooked pork chunks were significantly (P<0.01) higher in T4. Pork cooked within 5-6 h of slaughter scored significantly lower for the sensory attributes. This study revealed that pork may be cooked by consumers after 10-12 h of slaughter or after 24 h of chilling. Cooking of pork within 5-6 h of slaughter should be avoided and chunks should be made just before cooking.

Keywords: Handling condition, quality, pork, TPC