RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MUSCLE TYPE AND SOME TRAITS INFLUENCING VEAL COLOR

The influence of the muscle type on some compositional and qualitative traits of veal was studied in two experiments, each including 20 Friesian-Holstein veal calves. Metabolic type, pigment content, glycolytic potential, buffering capacity and pH (at slaughter and ultimate) were determined on muscles longissimus dorsi, psoas major and triceps brachii caput laterale in experiment 1. Pigment content, glycolytic potential and pH (at 5 h after slaughter and ultimate) were determined in experiment 2. In both experiments, reflectance spectra were obtained from m longissimus dorsi and m psoas major at 3 and 9 days after slaughter. Reflectance at 630 nm, lightness, redness (a*) and difference between reflectances at 630 and 580 nm (DELTA-R) were calculated from the spectra. Muscle type strongly influenced the rate of pH fall and most colour traits. Pigment content, reflectance, a* and DELTA-R were higher in m psoas major than in m longissimus dorsi. The ultimate pH was related to the glycolytic potential but not to the buffering capacity. The relative influence of the pigment content and the rate of pH fall on the colour traits depended on the muscle. Colour of m psoas major was affected to a larger extent by the rate of pH fall than by the pigment content. Conversely, pigment content played the more important role in m longissimus dorsi.