that on rare occasions some chilled meats exported
from New Zealand have become partially frozen or hard to the touch
upon receipt in some markets. This partial surface freezing appears to
have happened in cuts located in various parts of cartons and the
shipping container and therefore, cannot be attributed to difference
in temperature gradients. The anecdotal evidence also suggests
darker meat cuts were likely to freeze at higher temperatures. pH is
a good indicator of meat colour and darker meats generally indicate
higher pH. Due to the extensive
pastoral production system of cattle in New Zealand, psychological
and physiological factors combine to generate a range of meat
ultimate pH (pHu) values in beef. Meat ultimate pH is widely used as an indicator of meat quality, and carcasses are often categorised
according to its pHu. Briefly, low pHu meat (pHub5.8) is most ideal
with regards to consumer acceptability and palatability and high pHu meat (pHu≥6.2) is darker in colour and more susceptible to microbial
spoilage (Newton & Gill, 1981), but provide excellent raw material
for manufacturing purposes.