Post-mortem changes

Question 1

Meat is not consumed immediately after slaughter, as optimum palatability is after…

Answer 1

2-3 weeks most meat

1 day for poultry

Question 2

What are the 3 main post-mortem processes that make meat more palatable?

Answer 2

Acidification
Rigor mortis
Conditioning

Question 3

What can happen if the pH drop of meat is too rapid?

Answer 3

Meat becomes pale, soft and exudative (PSE)

Pale colour, softer, lower yields

Question 4

What can happen if the pH of meat doesn’t drop enough?

Answer 4

Meat becomes dark, firm and dry (DFD)

Dark, dry, shorter shelf life, less ‘quality’

Question 5

What are the two methods for controlling rigor mortis in meat?

Answer 5

Cold shortening

Electrical stimulation

Question 6

Why does meat need to be ‘conditioned’ before eating?

Answer 6

Rigor mortis makes meat tough

Aging improves quality, flavour and tenderness

Question 7

Why might a health-mark be withheld?

Answer 7

Not undergone ante-mortem or post-mortem exams
Animal was dead before slaughter
Generalised disease - pyrexia, septicaemia, toxaemia, viraemia, pyaemia
Did not meet microbiological criteria
Water supply has been contaminated and poses VEPH risk