Effect of vitamin E, low dose irradiation, and display time on the quality of pork

A 4 × 2 × 3 factorial experiment was designed to investigate the effect of supplemental vitamin E (0, 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg feed), irradiation and days in display on quality characteristics of aerobically packaged ground pork and vacuum packaged loin chops. Color, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), olfactory and sensory characteristics were evaluated. Samples held in display for 3 d were used for sensory evaluation. In the ground pork, irradiation (1.9 kGy) increased “wetdog” flavor, increased a* (redness) and decreased L* (lightness) and b* (yellowness) values but had no effect on TBARS. However, as display time (0, 4, and 8 days) increased; the differences in a* values diminished and putrefying and fishy odors were higher in non-irradiated samples than irradiated. Supplemented vitamin E had no effect on TBARS, odor, and color measures; but increased the juiciness of ground pork regardless of irradiation. Similarly, in the loin chops, irradiation (1.5 kGy) increased a* value and “wetdog” flavor; but decreased b* value regardless of vitamin E supplementation. Also, irradiation reduced putrefying, and fishy odors during longer display times. TBARS increased with increased display time but was not affected by vitamin E supplementation. These results indicate that in aerobically packaged ground pork and vacuum packaged loin chops, radiolytic odors and color changes cannot be mediated with vitamin E supplementation. Display time and irradiation are significant in determining color and odor changes.