Estimation of chemical composition of pork trimmings by use of density measurement-hydrostatic method

Abstract

This study aims to determine the possibility of using density measurements by using the hydrostatic method for the estimation of the chemical composition of pork. The research material included 75 pork samples obtained during industrial butchering and cutting. The density measurements were performed using the hydrostatic method based on Archimedes' principle. The meat samples were minced, and the content of the basic chemical components in them was determined. The usefulness of density measurement using the hydrostatic method in chemical composition estimation was determined by analyzing the correlation for the entire population, and after grouping the samples with a low (<15%), medium (15-25%), and high (>25%) fat content. High (in absolute value) coefficients of correlation between the meat density and the content of water (0.96), protein (0.94), and fat (-0.96) were found based on the results obtained. In order to achieve higher accuracy of the estimation, the applied regression equations should be adjusted to the presumed fat content in the meat. The standard error of prediction (SEP) values ranged from 0.67% to 2.82%, which indicates that the calculated estimation accuracy may be sufficient for proper planning of the production. Higher SEP values were found in fat content estimation and the lowest ones were found in protein content estimation.