Effects of sous-vide and searing treatments on cooked meat and organoleptic quality attributes in pork loins derived from PSE and normal conditions.

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of sous-vide (SV) alone and in combination with searing (SVS) on meat quality traits, visual attributes, and sensory characteristics of porcine longissimus dorsi muscles from reddish-pink, firm, and non-exudative (RFN) and pale, soft, and exudative (PSE) conditions. Compared with PSE-pan frying (PSE-Pan) loins, PSE-SV and PSE-SVS loins exhibited higher cooking yields and lower Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBS) values (p < 0.05), with no differences in WBS values relative to RFN-SV or RFN-SVS loins (p > 0.05). For visual attributes, the Pan- and SVS-treated groups received higher color acceptability scores than the SV-treated group (p < 0.001) due to surface browning formed by Maillard reactions. SVS treatment on PSE and RFN loins showed comparable color acceptability scores (p > 0.05). Notably, PSE-SV loins were perceived as more tender and juicier than RFN-Pan and RFN-SVS loins (p < 0.001). Flavor intensity was higher in Pan- and SVS-treated samples than in SV-treated samples in both quality classes (p < 0.05). Taken together, the SV followed by searing treatment resulted in higher visual acceptability scores for PSE loins than for RFN-SV and PSE-SV loins, primarily due to higher ratings for color and appearance acceptability. Furthermore, PSE loins subjected to SV treatment exhibited higher overall sensory acceptability scores than those cooked using conventional method. Therefore, these findings indicate that the application of SV and SVS treatments provides a valuable processing approach to improve the utilization of low-grade PSE pork.