Influence of rapid chilling on biochemical parameters governing the water‐holding capacity of pork longissimus dorsi

Summary The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of rapid chilling (RC) of carcasses on the quality of pork longissimus dorsi (LD) compared to conventional chilling (CC). Carcasses subjected to RC were chilled at −20 °C for 1.5 h and then moved to 4 °C until 24 h post‐mortem, while carcasses that were CC were placed directly in a chill at 4 °C for 24 h post‐mortem. RC accelerated the rates of temperature decline post‐mortem (P < 0.01) and increased pH values at 1.5 and 8 h post‐mortem (P < 0.05). RC could significantly decrease the denaturation of myosin and sarcoplasmic proteins during post‐mortem ageing. Samples of RC had a significant lower purge loss compared to CC group during post‐mortem ageing (P < 0.05). Our study implies that RC could influence the biochemical changes of pork LD which may further regulate water‐holding capacity during post‐mortem ageing.