3.2. pH, moisture, fat
Prior to aging, USDA Choice and Select loins had mean pH values of 5.64 and 5.66, respectively (P>0.05). Choice loins had higher (Pb0.01) percentage of lipid than USDA Select loins as expected (4.29 and 3.14%), and Select loins had higher moisture (Pb0.05) than Choice loins (72.58 and 71.43%). The pH of D aged loins was 5.67, which was higher (Pb0.01) than SB aged (5.61) or W aged (5.59) loins. Although significant, the difference in pH of 0.02 between SB and W carries very little practical importance (Gök, Obuz, & Akkaya, 2008).