Measurement of pork freshness using potentiometric sensor.

This study evaluated pork freshness using potentiometric solid-state electrodes in order to detect chemical indices such as reduced compounds, organic compounds and sulfides, which are produced during the initial stage of putrefaction in meat. Pt, CuS and Ag(2)S electrodes selected as solid-state electrodes have, respectively, been used to detect the organic compounds (regarded as chemical indices of deterioration in meat freshness). The outputs of these electrodes have been analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) and multiple regression analysis (MRA) in order to find the correlation with the results of viable bacterial counts. By using the potentiometric sensor, the pork freshness was evaluated and the PCA and MRA corresponded to the degree of bacterial increases more simply and rapidly than other methods such as viable bacterial counts or a biosensor.