A total of 20 pig carcasses from the same herd were selected from
a single slaughtering line in a commercial slaughterhouse (Henan, a
capacity of 3000 carcasses per day). After 20 h chilling in a 0 °C chiller,
carcasses were commercially fabricated. The cut “hind leg” was
vacuum-packed in heat-shrink bags (oxygen transmission rates:
18.54 × 10−6 cm3/m3·d·Pa). Vacuum packed cuts were stored at
0 °C for up to 21 days and were sampled after 1 h (day 0), 7 days,
14 days, and 21 days after vacuum packaging (5 bags per time point).
On each sampling occasion, 100 g of muscle on the exposed surface
was cut to a thickness of up to 2 cm and was removed for color and
pH measurement, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) determination,
microbial enumeration and DNA extraction.