The Effect of Pre‐Slaughter Environmental Temperature and Post‐Mortem Treatment Upon Some Characteristics of Ovine Muscle. I. Shortening and pH

SUMMARY A study was made of the effect of various postmortem incubation temperatures upon some physical and chemical characteristics of ovine muscle obtained from animals subjected, before slaughter, to various environmental temperatures. Unfrozen and pre‐rigor frozen muscles were studied. Pre‐slaughter treatment did not significantly affect muscle shortening or pH after 24 hr of incubation of unfrozen or pre‐rigor frozen muscle. Incubation temperatures significantly influenced the rate of change of pH and shortening as well as the final values obtained after 24 hr. These values were also affected by pre‐rigor freezing and subsequent thawing. Minimum shortening in unfrozen muscle occurred at incubation temperatures between 5 and 20°C. For pre‐rigor frozen muscle, shortening values increased with increasing thawing temperatures. Unfrozen and pre‐rigor frozen muscle incubated at temperatures between 0 and 40°C showed similar pH patterns after 24 hr, with minimum values for temperatures between 5 and 20°C.