Effect of animal species on muscle colour characteristics

Abstract

The objective of the study was to determine and compare the colour characteristics as a distinctive biological feature of animals from different domestic and wild animal species. Colour measurements were made on the fresh cuts of m. longissimus of pigs, beef cattle, red deer, rabbit, brown hare, on the m. pectoralis profundus of horse, on the m. pectoralis major of goose and on the hind leg muscles of red deer, rabbit, brown hare and goose within 5 min of blooming. CIE colour expressions, such as lightness (L*), redness (a*), yellowness (b*), chroma (C) and hue angle (h) were measured using a chromameter CR-410. Differences in colour parameters of different muscles within species were negligible, but species highly affected all studied parameters. Rabbit and pig showed the highest meat lightness. Brown hare and red deer showed the highest redness and colour saturation followed by beef and horse, but the highest meat yellowness was in rabbit and horse followed by pig. Negative Pearson's correlation coefficients between the meat pH and colour parameters were found in pork and beef, however, no significant correlations were estimated between these traits in meat of red deer, horse and rabbit.