The effect of simulated transport of fresh meats on their water-holding capacity as assessed by various methods

This study was designed to establish the effects of transport vibrations on the water-holding capacity of fresh non-stimulated veal and pork and electrically - and non-stimulated beef. Furthermore, drip production was followed during storage by var iota methods which were compared for their suitability in industrial practice and scientific research. During storage, the amount of drip increased, whilst the rate of drip formation decreased. Filter paper wetness measured at I day post mortem was positively correlated with drip lost over a period of 2 weeks of refrigerated storage in poly-ethylene bags (method Il and poly-propylene containers (method 2). This suggests that the filter paper wetness rest may be useful to predict drip loss of stored meat. Simulated transport did not result in higher drip losses, although a significant increase in filter paper wetness from the fresh cut surface of veal and pork was found, suggesting that transport affects the initial rate of drip production, but not the total amount of drip. In beef, transport simulation resulted in an increase in filter paper wetness from the surface of electrically-stimulated meat, stored for I or 2 weeks, indicating that fluid loss was elevated due to transport vibrations. However, this effect seemed to be related to the intrinsic water-holding capacity of the sample: meat with a low intrinsic water-holding capacity seemed to be more sensitive to transport vibrations than meat with a high intrinsic water-holding capacity. (C) 1997 Elserier Science Ltd.