PHYSICAL AND SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS OF PRECOOKED, REHEATED PORK CHOPS WITH ENHANCEMENT SOLUTIONS

Pork loins were pumped to 110% of original weight with solutions containing 0.35% salt and 0.35% phosphate (P), salt and phosphate plus 3% sodium lactate (SL), or salt and phosphate plus 2.5% potassium lactate/potassium acetate (PL/PA). Chops were evaluated freshly cooked and precooked, stored (4C, 2 days) and reheated. Chops from SL and PL/PA chops experienced lower cook losses than unpumped controls. Reheating produced additional cook losses which were unaffected by enhancement treatment. Enhancement produced reheated chops with lower shear values and higher tenderness scores than those of freshly cooked controls, and addition of either SL or PL/PA produced even more dramatic results. Warmed-over flavor after reheating precooked chops was reduced by the SL enhancement solution.