HOT‐FAT TRIMMING OF PORK CARCASSES TO REDUCE PALE, SOFT AND EXUDATIVE PORK

Eighty market hogs were allotted to stressed and unstressed treatment groups, and one side of each carcass was conventionally chilled while the counterparts were hot‐fat trimmed to 6.4 mm immediately postmortem. Temperature and pH declines were monitored after slaughter. At 2 h postmortem, internal ham temperatures from the hot‐fat trimmed carcasses were about 3C lower (P < 0.05) than the control sides in both the stressed and unstressed groups but, no differences were found after 4 h. Muscle from stressed carcasses had a lower pH at 2 and 4 h postmortem with no differences after 4 h. Purge loss from vacuum packaged loins was evaluated after 7 and 14 days of storage. Hot‐fat trimming reduced the incidence of PSE by 50%. The stressed carcasses had a 20% higher incidence of PSE. These results indicate that PSE can be reduced by decreasing muscle temperatures immediately postmortem through hot‐fat trimming.