Dados do Trabalho

Título

TEXTURAL PROFILE ANALYSIS, MARBLING AND CONSUMER PREFERENCE OF MOURA PIG MEAT

Introdução

Moura pigs, a local breed adapted to the southern Brazilian region, have been recently recognized their high-value-added meat products, mainly due to significant marbling and taste. However, there is currently a scientific lack of data on instrumental textural parameters and consumer preferences for Moura pig meat.

Material e Métodos

This study aimed to evaluate instrumental textural parameters and consumer preferences of cooked meat from Moura pigs (MO) compared to commercial crossbreed pigs (CC). Intramuscular fat (IMF) content was analyzed in raw pig meat using the ether extraction method. Loin slices, 25mm thick, were roasted in an electric oven until the center reached 70°C, then cut into 15mm cubic samples. A texturometer was used to perform a textural analysis profile test, utilizing a 36mm diameter cylindrical probe with compression at 70% in 2 cycles, at a test speed of 2 mm/s, in 4 replicates, with compression in a direction perpendicular to the muscle fiber. The purchase intention test was performed with a scale from 1 to 5 points (1- I would certainly not buy to 5- I would certainly buy) and forced choice based on preference.

Resultados e Discussão

The study found that IMF was higher in MO pigs compared to CC pigs (3.62 vs. 1.80g/100g; p<0.01). Cooked meat from MO pigs exhibited lower hardness values (239.48N vs. 327.80N; p<0.01) and chewiness (56.62N vs. 90.90N; p<0.01) than meat from CC pigs, with a strong positive correlation between hardness and chewiness (r=0.97; p<0.01). In consumer preference analysis, MO pigs scored higher than CC pigs for purchase intention (4.2 vs. 3.5; p<0.01) and preference (72% vs. 28%). Purchase intention was positively correlated with consumer preference and IMF (0.75>r>0.42; p<0.02), while consumer preference and IMF were negatively correlated with hardness and chewiness (-0.58

Conclusão

The MO pig meat is more tender than CC pig meat and has a higher IMF content, which contributes to its chewiness and increase consumer preference. The local pig breeds, such as Moura pig, tend to exhibit greater carcass lipid deposition and meat marbling than lean pigs. Consequently, MO pig meat, with its higher marbling content, is instrumentally more tender and sensorially more chewable, thus preferred by consumers.