EFFECT OF VACUUM AND RIGOR CONDITION ON CURE ABSORPTION IN TUMBLED PORCINE MUSCLES

Abstract

ABSTRACT Three major ham muscles were isolated, trimmed, and placed in a tumbler either 4 or 48 hr postmortem with 18% curing solution. Either vacuum or no vacuum was applied. Brine absorption within whole muscles was monitored by taking samples at three different depths during 13.47 hr of intermittent tumbling and after the curing period at 24 hr. Results indicate that vacuum and prerigor state independently increase the absorption of NaCl (P > 0.01). After the first hour of continuous tumbling the outer sample depth attained 2.15% NaCl and then decreased, but the concentration of NaCl in the inner two depths increased linearly with log time (P > 0.01). After 24 hr a homogeneous cure distribution was not found as the NaCl content in the depths was markedly different. Breaking strengths of ham slices were found to be greater when vacuum tumbling was used (P > 0.001). Thus vacuum is implicated in increased cure absorption and binding functionality.