Operational criteria for meat quality : relations with exudate loss

The aim of this study was to compare the quality of exudate loss prediction by several quality criteria at three different times post mortem. The correlations between quality criteria (pH, conductivity and L value) and exudate loss were closest at 5 h and 24 h post mortem. These results were obtained on meats with very low PSE tendencies, in low-stress handling and anaesthesia conditions. In these conditions, pH24 of longissimus dorsi was found to be the best predictor of exudate loss.