Quality Aspects of Pork Meat and Its Nutritional Impact

Abstract

Pork meat production in Europe has followed a steady increase over the last decade, with about 19,000,000 tonnes produced in 1,999, and is expected to remain fairly stable or even experiment a small increase over the next few years. Spain constitutes the second largest producer of pigmeat in the European Union. The production has risen to about 2,900,000 tonnes in 1,999. Pork meat is recognised as an important part of the European diet. However, consumers perception in recent years is not so good because they believe pork meat contains a high amount of visible fat with a high content in saturated fatty acids and cholesterol. Modern pig breeding and feeding techniques is leading to a leaner meat with an increased proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in its lipids. In fact, the composition in fatty acids mainly depends on the genetic origin, age, weight at slaughter, feed composition and husbandry systems (Morgan et al., 1992; Toldrá et al., 1996). In some studies, the effect of genetics on intramuscular fat is broken down into free fatty acids, triglycerides and phospholipids (Gandemer et al., 1992; Armero et al., 2001). These authors found a strong effect of genetic type on the fatty acid composition of phospholipids but only a slight effect on the composition of triglycerides. Other studies have evaluated the effect of different pig sire types and sex on carcass traits and meat quality (Armero et al., 1999a) as well as on endogenous enzymatic activity such as cathepsins and exopeptidases (Armero et al, 1999b, 1999c). Fatty acid composition is also affected by the anatomical location of the muscle, especially the phospholipid fraction which contributes to the muscle variability (Leseigneur-Meynier and Gandemer, 1991; Hernández et al., 1998). In the case of feed, the change of the fatty acid composition in a monogastric animal such as pork is relatively easy. Different pork meats, resulting from different crossbreeds and feeds, have been assayed in our laboratory during the last years for quality (pH, color, drip loss and fat

Effects of High Pressure on pH, Water-binding Capacity and Textural Properties of Pork Muscle Gels Containing Various Levels of Sodium Alginate

“…Pork meat has been playing an important role in European and Chinese traditional food. However, consumers believe that pork meat contains a high amount of visible fat with a high content of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol (Toldra et al, 2004). Meanwhile, the role of fat as a binder in minced meat processing is widely known.…”

Effect of Dietary Brown Seaweed (Macrocystis pyrifera) Additive on Meat Quality and Nutrient Composition of Fattening Pigs

“…Pork has been the most widely consumed meat in the world up to 2018, accounting for 40.1% of the total global meat intake [2]. The nutritional composition of meat and its organoleptic attributes depends on many factors such as genetics, age, sex condition, production system, diet, and location of cuts/muscles [3]. Pork quality has been the primary concern for producers, researchers, meat packers, processors, retailers, and ultimate consumers [4].…”