The Effect of Exhaustive Exercise and High Sucrose Regimen on Certain Chemical and Physical Pork Ham Muscle Characteristics

Abstract

Market weight Poland China barrows were placed on basal and high sucrose regimens, and were given exhaustive exercise immediately prior to slaughter. The effects of these rations and exercise on the characteristics and classications of the gluteus medius muscles were studied. Exhaustive exercise of the hogs on the basal ration produced dark, firm muscles that were dry in appearance. These muscles presented high pH values, low glycogen concentrations and relatively low expressible water ratios. In contrast to this response, hogs which were placed on high sucrose rations and given no exercise had muscles that were pale in color, soft in structure and extremely “watery” in appearance. These muscles were relatively low in pH, high in expressible water and contained approximately five times as much initial glycogen as the Lot II samples. When similarly treated animals were exercised to exhaustion (Lot IV) they possessed hams which very closely resembled the muscles of the basal, unexercised lot. When the hams were cured, the appearance differences were of the same magnitude as in the uncured form. Copyright © . .