The use of the MRI technique in the evaluation of water distribution in tumbled porcine muscle

The non-destructive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique was used to study the spatial distribution of water in meat samples without and with brine and the influence of injection curing on water distribution in cured meat. Fresh non-treated porcine ham muscles (m. biceps femoris) were used; muscles injected with curing salt and subjected to half-time tumbling (3 h and 20 min) and full-time tumbling (6 h and 40 min) were studied. A “Lutetia” type 4 tumbler of French manufacture with a helicoidal paddle and a 2000 kg drum capacity was used. Histological examination of fresh non-treated muscles, after brine injection, and during and after the completion of tumbling demonstrated considerable differences. The use of MRI made it possible to estimate the effect of the tumbling procedure on the dynamics of brine migration and binding by muscle proteins. The spatial imaging of the proton density distribution confirmed that with longer meat tumbling times the binding of brine and its uniform distribution in the muscles increased.