Influence of marinade pH on muscle fibre area and water holding capacity of raw porcine longissimus dorsi muscle

It is well known that the pH of meat affects quality traits such as water-holding capacity, texture arid tenderness. This knowledge is applied in sour marination, for example. One reason for marinating meat is to improve its tenderness and juiciness. In this way, tough meat of poorer quality can be upgraded. The purpose of the present study was to ascertain how incubation buffers ranging from extremely low to high pH values affect the muscle fibre cross-sectional area and water-holding capacity of raw park of normal quality, and also of meat cooked after marination. The results of this study clearly illustrate the importance of pH-value to swelling capacity and hence the water-holding capacity of normal raw meat and of meat cooked after marination. In addition an increase in the mean fibre cross-sectional area was found in both raw and cooked meat, even though the effect of pH on cross-sectional area was less marked than on swelling. In swelling, both longitudinal and radial changes in the fibre are included, whereas when measuring fibre cross-sectional area, only the radial change is taken into account.