Reports

Áhrif sýrustigs daginn eftir slátrun á gæði lambakjöts / The Effects of pH24 on Quality of Lamb Meat

Published:

12/11/2025

Authors:

Guðjón Þorkelsson, Aðalheiður Ólafsdóttir, Eva Margrét Jónudóttir and Óli Þór Hilmarsson

Supported by:

Sheep farming development capital

Contact

Guðjón Þorkelsson

Strategic Scientist

gudjon.thorkelsson@matis.is

Áhrif mismunandi sýrustigs (pH24) í lambahryggvöðva daginn eftir slátrun á bragðgæði voru rannsökuð til að geta sagt betur til um hvaða sýrustig er best að nota sem viðmið fyrir gæði kjötsins og streitu sláturlamba.

Tekin voru sýni af hryggvöðva lambaskrokka með mismunandi sýrustig daginn eftir slátrun. Sýnunum var skipt í sex hópa: pH undir 5,7, 5,70-5,79, 5,80-5,89, 5,90-5,99, 6,00-6,19 og yfir 6,2.

Litargildin L* (Ljóst, dökkt),a* (Grænt, rautt),b*(Blátt,gult) voru mæld á hráum vöðvum. Vöðvunum var pakkað í loftdregnar umbúðir og þeir látnir meyrna við 2°C í 6 daga og síðan hraðfrystir við -30°C og geymdir við -25°C.   Rýrnun við þiðnum við 4°C var mæld og rýrnum við hitum (Kjarnhiti 68°C). Lyktar-, bragð- og áferðareiginleikar eldaðs hryggvöðva voru mældir með skynmati og skurðkraftur var mældur með Warner/Bratzler aðferð. Rýrnun við þiðnum minnkaði með vaxandi sýrustigi í vöðva. Rannsóknin staðfesti að best er að halda áfram að nota sýrustigið 5,8 daginn eftir slátrun sem mælikvarða á streitu sláturlamba og dökka, stífa og þurra vöðva í lambakjöti. Lítill munur var á hryggvöðvum með sýrustig undir 5,7 og undir 5,8. Þeir voru ljósari og rauðari en vöðvar með pH24 yfir 5,8.  Einnig voru þeir meyrari, safaríkari og ljósari á litinn en  hryggvöðvar með sýrustig á bilinu 5,8-5,99.   Hryggvöðvar með sýrustig á milli 6,0-6,20 voru jafnmjúkir og jafn meyrir og vöðvar með sýrustig undir 5,8.  En þeir voru dekkri.   Hryggvöðvar með sýrustig yfir 6,2 voru þeir mýkstu í rannsókninni og fengu hæsta einkunn fyrir meyrni en þeir voru mjög dökkir og vitað er að skemmdarörverur vaxa betur við hátt sýrustig auk þess sem það er mælikvarði á óæskilega meðferð á lömbum fyrir slátrun.  
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The effects of different pH24 levels on eating quality and other quality parameters of lamb loin muscles were studied to underpin which value/threshold to use as an indicator of stress in slaughter lambs and dark cutting meat.

Loin muscles with different values of pH were sampled from lamb carcasses the day after slaughter (pH24).  They were divided into six groups (pH below 5.7; 5,70 – 5,79: 5.80 – 5.89: 5.90 – 5.99; 6.00 – 6.19 and pH 6,20 and above).

Instrumental colour CIE L* (Light, dark), a* (Green, red),b*(Blue, yellow) was measured on raw muscles. The muscles were vacuum packed and aged for six days before blast freezing at -30°C then storage at -25°C until further analyses. Weight loss after thawing at 4°C and cooking loss (68°C) were measured. Trained sensory panel analysed odour, colour and texture attributes and shear force was measured by the Warner Bratzler method.   Thawing loss was reduced with increased pH.  Using pH above 5,8 the day after slaughter as an indicator of dark cutting in lamb meat was confirmed. Very small differences were in quality of loin muscles with pH24 under 5,7 and under 5,8. The raw muscles had lighter colour and the cooked meat was more tender and juicier than muscles with pH between 5,80 – 5,99.  Muscles with pH24 between 6,00-6,20 were just as tender than muscles with pH24 below 5,8. But the raw muscles were darker. The muscles of the most stressed lambs (pH24 >6,20) were the most tender and the darkest. Meat with pH24 above 6,20 can however not be recommended because it is also more prone to microbial spoilage and high stress is a serious welfare issue that must be prevented. 

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Reports

Assessment of slaughter in sheep slaughterhouses in the autumn of 2008

Published:

10/02/2009

Authors:

Valur Norðri Gunnlaugsson, Óli Þór Hilmarsson, Ásbjörn Jónsson, Guðjón Þorkelsson

Supported by:

National Association of Sheep Farmers

Contact

Valur Norðri Gunnlaugsson

Research Group Leader

valur@matis.is

Assessment of slaughter in sheep slaughterhouses in the autumn of 2008

The Annual General Meeting of the National Association of Sheep Farmers decided in April 2008 that a detailed assessment will be made of the treatment of lamb at slaughter, especially during killing and cooling. An explanatory memorandum to the resolution stated: "The meeting considers it necessary to examine the possible effects of these two factors on the quality of the meat. When the animal is killed by electricity, there is a risk that the carcasses will not be able to bleed sufficiently and there is a risk of cooling hardening with too rapid cooling or freezing. Matís ohf. carried out an assessment of the above factors in the autumn of 2008 where the killing and cooling processes in 6 slaughterhouses were examined, of which one house was visited twice. Monitor the killing of 100 carcasses in each house to see procedures and take out facilities. The acidity and temperature of the carcass were measured regularly as well as the temperature in the slaughterhouses of the slaughterhouses. Carcasses taken in this study followed jogging through the normal process of action in each slaughterhouse, but before freezing, the backbone was removed and frozen. Vertebral muscles were then used in texture measurements to see different gravitational processes between slaughterhouses on the meat of the meat. The results show that the killing method affects the death stiffening process. It was much further in the carcasses of lambs in houses that use the "head-back" method than in houses that had a head clip. Cooling time is clearly too short in some houses. Thus the freezing temperature was highest as it was shortest and well above 6.0 in the house where it was only 4 hours. The viscosity of the meat was lowest in the vertebral carcasses from the slaughterhouse, where the head-back killing method was used, electrical stimulation was used and extensive and long cooling ensured that the meat was almost completely tenderized.

At annual general meeting of sheep farmers association in 2008 was concluded that a general observation ought to take place on treatment of lamb meat at slaughterhouses, particularly at electrocute step and the cooling phase. The aim was to see the influence of these factors on meat quality. Matis ohf. visited 6 slaughterhouses in autumn 2008. The results showed that the electrocution method affected the pH of carcasses. In some slaughterhouses the cooling phase was too short and therefore the pH was too high in carcasses when they were frozen. The tenderest meat came from the slaughterhouse where the meat was electrically stimulated and there was a long cooling paste.

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