THE EFFECT OF POST-EXSANGUINATION INFUSION ON THE COMPOSITION, EXUDATION, COLOR AND POSTMORTEM METABOLIC CHANGES IN LAMB

Twenty-four lamb carcasses were assigned to three treatment groups: (1) control (Ctr), (2) infused with 10% (vol/wt) of a tenderizing blend (NCa), and (3) NCa plus 0.015 m CaCl2 (WCa). Results indicated that the infused carcass solution was retained in the following order: shoulder > loin > leg. Infusion had no effect (P > 0.05) on drip and cooking losses in refrigerated samples. Samples frozen and then thawed from infused carcasses had greater thaw drip (P < 0.05) and cooking losses (P < 0.01) than control samples. The amounts of drip and cooking losses were in the order: WCa > NCa > Ctr. Frozen storage preserved the red color but lowered the lightness and yellowness of ovine muscles; the opposite effect was observed following refrigerated storage. Infused samples were lighter and yellower than control in both fresh and frozen samples (P < 0.01). WCa had less red color (P < 0.01) than NCa and Ctr at all times and storage conditions. Infusion lowered (P < 0.05) the temperature of carcasses over the first 3 h postmortem (pm) compared with Ctr. The rate of glycolysis was higher in infraspinatus (IS) than in longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle (LTL or longissimus). In both IS and LTL, glycolysis was completed within the first 6 h postmortem in NCa, whereas in Ctr and WCa, it took 12-24 h for glycolysis to be completed. The rate of glycolysis was in the order: NCa > WCa > Ctr.