Correlation of pH and cooking loss in muscles from different primal cuts of pork

This study was investigated to identify the relationship between the muscle properties of pork shoulder butt (3 muscles), belly (9 muscles from 6^th, 11^th thoracic, and 4^th lumber vertebrae), and loin from 30 pork carcasses. The pH and cooking loss of 390 muscles (13 muscles x 30 carcasses) were measured. Cutaneous trunci m from 4^th lumber vertebrae and Semispinalis capitis m (SeC) from the shoulder butt had a significant correlation in pH with all other muscles. In the correlations of cooking loss, significant correlations were found among 3 muscles in the shoulder butt while no correlation between some muscles was found in the pork belly. The pH of SeC had a significant correlation with 4 muscles in the pork belly. Therefore, the SeC could be used as a representative muscle for predicting the quality properties of other pork cuts including the pork belly and loin in pork carcass. However, it is necessary to develop a technology that can quickly and accurately measure the quality properties of SeC and predict the quality of other pork cuts.