The M. longissimus dorsi of 171 pigs were histologically examined for pathological signs. Acute hyaline-plaque degenerations and necrosis (hsD/N) in various degrees of manifestation were recorded from 42.7 and hyaline transverse ligaments (hQb) from 22.8 per cent of all cases. The occurrence of hsD/N following container transport was lower with significance (33.3 per cent) than that following lorry transport (50.5 per cent). The form of transport failed to have any substantive effect on the occurrence of hQb, the figures being 20.5 per cent for container and 24.7 per cent for lorry. Short resting periods, between 0.5 and 1.2 hours, were followed with significantly higher occurrence of hsD/N, as compared to longer resting periods, between five and eight or 23 hours. These pathological findings were not further reduced by extending the resting period from something between five and eight to 20 hours. The pathological hsD/N and hQb findings were recordable from both PSE pork (hsD/N = 51.4 per cent, hQb = 25.7 per cent) and from pork without any quality shortcomings (hsD/N = 39.7 per cent, hQb = 22.1 per cent), but the number of hsD/N cases in the context of PSE pork tended to be higher than that in high-quality pork. No sex dependence was established. The results are discussed under the aspect of aetiopathogenesis of stress-borne myopathy.
Animals Meat