Quality Characteristics of Aerobically Packaged and Irradiated Normal, PSE, and DFD Pork

Irradiation and storage increased lipid oxidation of normal and pale-soft-exudative (PSE) muscles, whereas dark-firm-dry (DFD) muscle was very stable and resistant to oxidative changes. Irradiation increased redness regardless of pork-quality type, and the increases were proportional to irradiation dose. Irradiation increased the production of sulfurcontaining volatiles, but not lipid oxidation products. The total volatiles produced in normal and PSE pork were higher than that in the DFD pork. Some volatiles produced in meat by irradiation evaporated during storage under aerobic packaging conditions. Nonirradiated normal and DFD pork had higher odor preference scores than the nonirradiated PSE, but irradiation reduced the preference scores of all three pork-quality types. This suggests that irradiation can significantly increase the use of DFD pork, and can greatly benefit pork and beef industries.