The Impact of Endpoint Temperature on Cooked Quality Characteristics on the Biceps Femoris, Semimembranosus, and Semitendinosus of Por

The current study is comprised two experiments aimed to investigate endpoint temperatures on various ham muscle's (n = 27) cooked quality characteristics. In the first experiment, internal cooking temperatures of 62 C and 73 C were the treatment temperatures analyzed. The experimental unit included two chops from the m. biceps femoris (BF), m. semimembranosus (SM), and m. semitendinosus (ST) that were randomly allocated to cook loss (CL), Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), pH or instrumental cook color (ICC) testing. The initial raw weight was collected from chops assigned to CL and WBSF and were then cooked to their randomly assigned internal treatment temperature. Chops were cooled to 23 C before collecting the cooked weight to calculate CL. Six cores were sheared once for WBSF tenderness measurements using an Instron Universal Testing Machine. A glass pH probe was used to take three readings across chops assigned to pH and ICC prior to cooking. Instrumental cook color readings were taken using a Hunter Lab Miniscan EZ immediately after cutting each chop and exposing the surface of the internal chop. Commission Internationle de l'Eclairage (CIE) values: Lightness (L*), redness (a*), yellowness (b*), data was collected and red spectral values at 630 nm and brown spectral values at 580 nm were evaluated to calculate the red to brown ratio. Results from this study indicated that the ST was the reddest and most yellow at 62 C while the SM was the lightest. Warner-Bratzler shear force values and CL were the highest at 73 C. Additionally, the SM expelled the most water while the BF lost the least. In the second experiment, 62, 68, and 73 C were the internal cooking temperatures analyzed. The experimental unit included three chops from the BF and SM that were also randomly allocated to either WBSF and CL or pH and ICC. Results from this experiment suggest that the SM experienced the greatest moisture loss and both moisture loss and WBSF values increased when the temperature increased. The SM was again the lighter amongst the two muscles however, the BF was redder and more yellow in contrast. Lastly, the red:brown ratio was highest at 62 C and decreased as endpoint cooking temperature increased.