Influence of Slicing Warm Porcine Muscle on Fiber Diameter, Kinkiness and Shear Force

SUMMARY Ten market‐weight Hampshire pigs were used to test 2 methods of fabricating hotprocessed pork Ioins. Longissimus dorsi muscle sliced before removal of body heat had significantly higher shear values than the corresponding muscle sliced after a 24‐hr chill. This difference was believed to be due to the contraction of the muscle fibers caused by slicing the muscle soon after death. Fiber diameter and percent kinkiness were also significantly affected by method of slicing, but the larger fiber diameter and greater percent kinkiness were found for the cold‐sliced muscle. An interaction between side and treatment was attributed to the manner in which the animal was suspended during death.