Abstract

This thesis aimed at increasing the understanding of how genetic and environmental factors, such as RN genotype and tumbling, influence the sensory perception and technological traits of processed pork and how they relate to water-holding properties and tenderness. In two trials, loins of different RN genotypes were cured-smoked, sensory assessed by a selected and trained sensory panel and tested for functionality. Additionally, loins were either tumbled or not tumbled during processing in the second trial. The RN- allele strongly influenced sensory perception in general. Despite the lower water-holding properties of meat from RN- carriers compared with non-carriers, processed meat from RN- carriers scored more tender, juicy and acidulous by the sensory panel. Regardless of this sensory profile the consumers preferred cured-smoked loins from non-carriers of the RN- allele. Tumbling resulted in favourable water-holding properties and enhanced tenderness, but only slightly affected juiciness. Nevertheless, consumers tended to rank non-tumbled loins as most liked. For an optimum product quality the process design has to be fitted to the present assembly of machinery, because even small changes in the process can greatly affect the product quality. The ability to predict sensory properties technologically was tested. Intra-myofibrillar water, determined by LF-NMR T2 relaxometry related to the sensory attributes juiciness, acidulous taste and meat taste in cured-smoked loins. Generally, water located in the highly organised myofibrillar lattice was of greatest importance for the eating quality. During processing unappealing pores often appear, which were predicted with high precision by relative LF-NMR T2 population sizes and image analysis. In a third trial, the content of glycogen in fresh and cooked loin and meat juice was determined. All glycogen was broken down in non-carriers of the RN- allele during the post mortem glycolysis, whereas a considerable amount remained in RN- carriers. Cooking further broke down glycogen, but intact glycogen was to be found in the cooked meat and the fluid lost during cooking.