Resumo

RAIMUNDO, António J. F.. Analysis of pork quality categories in a slaughterhouse. Rev. de Ciências Agrárias [online]. 2017, vol.40, n.spe, pp.461-470. ISSN 0871-018X.  https://doi.org/10.19084/RCA16206.

Meat producers have yield losses if meat quality is not assessed in an exact way when it is marketed. A great variability in fresh meat leads to a great variability on meat products if quality is not adequately controlled. The quality of pork is influenced by various factors, genetic and non-genetic or environmental. In the first group we can include, amongst others, breed, genotype, sex, age, the individual and the muscle, and in the second, amongst others, we can include nutrition and pre-slaughter handling. These two groups of factors interact and determine the result of metabolic processes in the peri and post mortem periods. The physiological characteristics of skeletal musculature also explain the variability in its metabolic responses during pre-slaughter stress and the subsequent speed and amplitude of post mortem pH decline. In order to determine the variability in meat quality in a slaughterhouse, we used initial and ultimate pH values, Minolta L* value and 48 hours’ drip loss in pig Longissimus dorsi. Based on the values of those parameters and using criteria found in scientific literature a meat category system comprising eight categories was elaborated. In order to identify possible reasons for the variability that was found we carried out a comparison of our results with those of other studies related to meat quality categories in slaughterhouses in different countries,

Palavras-chave : Pork; slaughterhouse; quality categories; variability.

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