The relationship between pH45 and drip in pig muscle

The relationship between pH45 and drip loss from the M. longissimus dorsi (LD) was examined using data collected from 433 pigs of various breeds. In pork with a pH45 <6.1 a high but relatively constant weight of drip was produced in storage; above 6.1 the water holding capacity improved and, with higher pH45, correspondingly smaller weights of drip were lost. Assuming that the amount of drip from the LD is related to that from the whole carcass, and based on recent published survey data on pH45 in British cross-bred pigs, the cost of the incidence of PSE in the U.K. can be estimated as 2.2% of the value of the weight of lean in all pigs slaughtered.