Effects of animal and muscle characteristics on collagen and consequences for ham production.

The effect of biological and technological factors on ham production were studied by analyzing collagen pyridinoline cross-linking and the thermal stability of type I collagen. The type of muscle affected hydroxylysylpyridinoline (P>0.01) and lysylpyridinoline (P<0.001) cross-linking, total intramuscular collagen concentration (P<0.0001), and the slope of type I collagen solubility as a function of time. pH (P<0.05) and genetic line (P<0.0001) affected lysylpyridinoline cross-linking. In ham production, muscle type, pH(24), nitrite salt concentration and pasteurization value affected type I collagen solubility (P<0.0001). There was a relationship between pyridinoline cross-linking and soluble type I collagen levels and between technological yield and soluble type I collagen concentration (P<0.0001). There was also a relationship between collagen pyridinoline cross-linking and technological yield if the nitrite salt (1.5%) and pH(24) (<5.55) were kept constant. Thus collagen solubility and pyridinoline content are two indicators of meat quality in ham production.