Effects of carcass weight increase on meat quality and sensory properties of pork loin

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of increasing carcass weight (CW) on meat quality traits including meat color, water-holding capacity (WHC), tenderness, backfat thickness and intramuscular fat (IMF) content of pork loin. A total of 96 pork carcasses (48 LYD [Landrace × Yorkshire × Duroc] barrows and gilts) were selected at a commercial slaughterhouse. Each gender had commercial CW (≤ 90 kg), heavy CW (91–100 kg) and very heavy CW (> 100 kg) (16 carcasses from each CW group). Loin cuts (Longissimus lumborum) were excised to investigate meat color (CIE L*a*b*), drip loss, cooking loss, released water, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), and IMF content. Backfat thickness and IMF content of pork loin samples were significantly (p < 0.05) increased with increasing CW, although there was no significant difference in ultimate pH (pHu). CIE a* increased significantly (p < 0.05) with increasing CW, while there were no significant differences in CIE L* or CIE b* among CW groups. Although all WHC measures showed no significant differences among CW groups, WBSF increased significantly (p < 0.01) with increasing CW. Sensory flavor score was significantly increased while panel score for tenderness was decreased significantly (p < 0.001) with increasing CW. Consequently, CW had a positive correlation with flavor but negative correlation with tenderness. These results indicate that the increased IMF content improves flavor, juiciness and palatability, although tenderness deteriorates with increasing CW.