Shelf life and quality of pork and pork products with raised n-3 PUFA

Pork chops, liver, bacon and sausages from 80 pigs fed on a control or a linseed-rich test diet were assessed for their sensory qualities and oxidative stability after conditioning and storage, either frozen or under simulated retail display. There was no significant effect of diet on lipid oxidation as assessed by the TBA test (P>0.05) for pork, liver and sausages, values being less than 0.2 throughout the display period, lower than the threshold of 0.5 mg MDA/kg at which consumers may detect rancidity. Nor was there any significant effect of diet on colour changes of pork chops, sausages and bacon under simulated retail display conditions. Grilled loin chops, bacon and sausages from male pigs received significantly higher abnormal flavour scores than those from females but panellists were unable to discern any major differences between control and test diets, even though they could detect this relatively small sex effect. The test diet resulted in higher α-linolenic acid (18:3) levels, with major increases in total n-3 PUFA content, but the concentrations were generally lower than reported values that have resulted in stability problems. The n-6 PUFA content was also reduced by the test diet. The results demonstrate that the nutritional value of pigmeat can be improved by using an 18:3-enriched diet without adversely affecting normal eating quality parameters.