Efeito do congelamento e descongelamento da carne suína na capacidade de retenção de água dos cortes copa e barriga

Abstract

Brazilian pork has increasingly stood out in the international market over the years, positioning the country as the fourth-largest exporter worldwide. Water-holding capacity (WHC) is a crucial attribute for assessing the quality of pork available on shelves, as it is closely related to factors such as color, juiciness, visual appeal in packaging, and yield in processed food production within the food industry. Freezing is a common method for preserving pork and a vital tool for national and international meat trade. With consumers becoming increasingly selective and considering that sensory aspects play a fundamental role in purchasing decisions, studies aiming to enhance and evaluate meat storage methods that directly affect sensory qualities and processed food yield are essential. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate and analyze the impact of freezing over 7, 30, and 60 days on collar cuts (longissimus cervicis muscle) and belly (rectus and oblique abdominal muscles) cuts. Samples from 60 carcasses were used, with the WHC measured both fresh and after freezing periods of 7, 30, and 60 days. Water-holding capacity was determined using the compression method. Simple regression equations were generated to estimate WHC as a function of freezing time. The influence of freezing time on WHC was significant, explaining 84.42% of the variation in collar cuts and 58.57% in pork belly.