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Biopsy Technique and Analyses for Predicting Pork Quality

Research Institute for Animal Husbandry "Schoonoord", Driebergseweg 10d, Zeist, The Netherlands

Abstract

The longissimus muscles of 20 Dutch Land-race pigs were biopsied 3 days antemortem with the aid of a light general anesthetic. Lactate, glucose-6-phosphate (G-6-P), adenosine triphosphate, and creatine phosphate levels of the 3 g biopsies were correlated with postmortem muscle quality. Lactate and G-6-P were significantly correlated, 0.59 and 0.67, respectively, with muscle quality as measured by percent transmission. A high percent transmission is associated with pale, soft and exudative muscle.

In a second experiment, 32 Dutch Landrace pigs were biopsied without the aid of a general anesthetic 6 or 12 days antemortem. Liquid nitrogen was used as a local skin anesthetic. A "Koffler"-tongs was used to facilitate the removal of 200 mg samples of the longissimus. The level of G-6-P was a more accurate predictor of postmortem muscle quality (correlation 0.62) as measured by percent transmission of the longissimus extract than was lactate (correlation 0.43). A correlation of 0.88 was observed between percent transmission of the longissimus extract and subjective evaluation. The pH of the longissimus or the semi-membranosus or rigor measurement at either 40 or 120 min. postmortem were approximately equal (correlations 0.50 to 0.84) in their ability to predict pork quality. The level of muscle G-6-P at 6 or 12 days antemortem was able to predict muscle quality about as well as pH or rigor measurements which were made within 2 hr. postmortem.