Premium
Measurement of Veal Color by Fiber Optic Spectrophotometry
Author(s) -
SWATLAND H. J.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
journal of food science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1750-3841
pISSN - 0022-1147
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2621.1985.tb10507.x
Subject(s) - absorbance , diaphragm (acoustics) , adductor muscles , anatomy , chemistry , pectoralis major muscle , medicine , chromatography , acoustics , loudspeaker , physics
Fiber optic spectrophotometry was used to measure the color of pectoralis profundus, diaphragm, transversus abdominis and adductor muscles in the carcasses of nine veal calves raised commercially for the production of white veal. Blood hemoglobin levels measured before slaughter were correlated with absorbance in the transversus at 1 hr postmortem (r = 0.72, P < 0.05 at 540 nm), but this relationship was obscured by 24 hr postmortem. Pectoralis, diaphragm and adductor increased in paleness between 1 hr and 24 hr postmortem (P < 0.01) as muscle pH declined. In the adductor at 24 hr, pH was correlated (P < 0.01) with absorbance at 10 nm intervals ranging from r = 0.75 at 580 nm to r = 0.91 at 700 nm. The effects of postmortem changes in pH should be taken into account when measuring the paleness of veal.