Prediction of Japanese color score

Relationships between Japanese color score (JCS) and pork quality attributes were studied and three equations were developed to predict JCS. Averages for population one (n = 781) traits were used to develop initial prediction equations and traits from population two (n = 684) were used to evaluate the success of the prediction equations. The first equation was: JCS = 12.698 − (0.01128 × firmness) + (0.09008 × pH) − (0.00007199 × drip loss) − (0.266 × L∗) + (0.06923 × a∗) − (0.201 × b∗) + (0.02143 × hue angle); r2 = 0.916. The second equation was: JCS = 15.255 − (0.259 × L∗) − (0.213 × b∗) + (0.02518 × hue angle); r2 = 0.931. The third equation was: JCS = 12.920 − (0.219 × L∗) + (0.07342 × a∗) − (0.02166 × b∗); r2 = 0.906. All equations predicted 92% or more Japanese color scores within ±0.50. Requiring fewer measurements, the second and third equations would be advantageous when sorting pork on the basis of JCS.