Water holding capacity

OPTICUT's challenge

Water holding capacity (WHC) is considered one of the most important quality parameters of the meat. The incidence of meats with WHC defects is very significant in the pork industry and a global problem that causes losses of millions of Euros in all stages of the value chain. WHC is strongly influenced by genetic factors such as porcine stress syndrome, nutrition, the season, and the handling of animals before and after slaughter. The incidence of defective pork meat can reach up to 30%.

One of the best predictors of the WHC is pH at 45 minutes post-mortem, during the conversion of muscle to meat. In practice, the harsh conditions of the slaughter lines do that the post-mortem measurement time cannot be conveniently controlled and this causes the measurement is not reliable. Alternatively, the pH can be measured at 24h but the sensitivity of the method decreases significantly, making 30% of defective meat to be undetected.