Modelling postmortem evolution of pH in beef M. under two different cooling regimes.

A model based on enzyme kinetics was developed to predict differences in postmortem pH change in beef muscles as affected by cooling rate. For the calibration and validation of the model, pH and temperature measurements were conducted at different positions in following conventional carcass cooling or faster cooling of the muscle after hot boning. The glycogen conversion, and, hence, the pH fall, was observed to significantly vary with position and cooling regime but only during the initial hours of cooling.