HANDLING LAMBS PRIOR TO SLAUGHTER AFFECTS LOIN pH AND GLYCOGEN CONCENTRATION, BUT NOT TENDERNESS

摘要

Consistency of eating quality of lamb is an issue that the lamb industry is addressing through processing, management and genetic pathways (Pethick et al. 2002). After slaughter, glycogen within the muscle is converted to lactic acid, leading to a decrease in muscle pH. If glycogen stores are depleted prior to slaughter through stress or removal from feed, less lactate can be produced after slaughter and the ultimate pH (pHu) of muscle will be higher than when glycogen stores are adequate (Gardner etal. 2001). A pHu of 5.7 - 6.0 can be associated with tougher meat. This paper extends results of Starbuck et al. (2002) by testing the hypothesis that the loin glycogen content at slaughter and muscle tenderness will increase following increased time between handling and slaughter.