INTRODUCTION
Freezing is the most frequently used technology to preserve fresh meat during long-term
storage. Keeping meat under frozen storage enables the meat industry to (i) adapt its offerings
to consumers’ demand, (ii) adjust the meat supply to the processing rate, and (iii) transport meat
to distant importing countries [1]. Despite the advantages of freezing fresh meat, frozen meat
has a stigma because freezing is perceived to reduce meat quality [2], even though this
perception is not clearly supported by scientific evidences [3]. Therefore, predicting aspects of
pork quality is becoming increasingly important from a nutritional as well as a technological
point of view [4]. A thorough understanding of the physical and chemical changes induced by
freezer storage and their relation to fresh meat is of utmost importance for the meat industry [5].
The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of frozen long-storage duration (two
years) on pork quality and intramuscular fatty acid composition in Longissimus thoracis et
lumborum muscle.