Quality traits of pork semimembranosus and triceps brachii muscles sourced from the United States and Mexico

Quality traits of pork muscles from Mexico and USA were compared.US semimembranosus had better color appearance, lower WBSF and higher WHC.Mexico's triceps brachii had lower WBSF and was better accepted by local consumers.Regional differences on consumer sensory ratings across muscles were detected.

The study included fresh pork semimembranosus (SM, n = 289) and triceps brachii (TB, n = 283) muscles sourced from meat packers of Mexico and the USA. Samples were analyzed for moisture, protein, and fat content, pH, shear force (WBSF), cook loss, water holding capacity (WHC), instrumental color, emulsion capacity (EC) and stability (ES), and consumer sensory ratings. SM from the USA had lower WBSF (P < 0.05) than that from Mexico (26.7 vs. 29.7 N), higher WHC (44.7 vs. 38.4%; P < 0.05) and a better appearance, as indicated by its lower h* (52.3 vs. 56.6; P < 0.05) and higher C* (23.1 vs. 21.3; P < 0.05). Consumer acceptance of SM was similar (P > 0.05) across countries. TB from Mexico had higher (P < 0.05) fat content (2.5 vs. 2.0%), lower (P < 0.05) WBSF values (32.0 vs. 36.9 N), and received more positive ratings by Mexican consumers (87.1 vs. 81.7%) than its US equivalent. In general, US pork exhibits better technological properties, while country of origin has less effect on consumer acceptability.