Effects of low-temperature long-time cooking conditions on the quality of sous-vide cooked pork loin and ham

Abstract

The results revealed that the pH, a*b*C* color, and browning index (BI) of the sous-vide cooked meat were low. The L*h* color, cooking loss (CL), and longitudinal shrinkage (LS) were more prominent in the pork loin (longissimus lumborum, LL) samples. When loin and ham (semimembranosus, SM) were cooked at 67°C, they had exhibited the highest values of b*C*h* compared to other temperatures. The samples cooked at 63-67°C had a greater shear force (WBSF) and work of shear (WS), similar to traditionally-cooked (TC) meat, indicating tougher meat. Almost all textural profile analyses (TPA) showed an interaction between muscle type and cooking temperature. The lowest values of hardness, springiness, gumminess, and chewiness values were observed in SM samples cooked at 55°C. It was concluded that the SM meat looked darker, had higher moisture and lower shrinkage than the LL samples. Lower-temperature sous-vide cooking helped to retain water and tenderize the pork.