본 연구는 정수압 처리와 초음파 처리가 20일 숙성기간 동안 돈육의 삼겹살과 목살 부위의 품질특성에 미치는 영향에 대해 조사하였다. 다양한 품질특성을 관찰한 결과 정수압에서 숙성하고 초음파 처리한 돈육은 부위별로 효과의 차이는 있지만, 품질향상에 효과적인 것으로 나타났으며 또한, 초음파 처리했을 때 특히 고기의 연도와 관계가 있는 pH, 보수력, 경도 품질을 높이는 것으로 관찰되었다. 본 연구에서 이용한 저온 정수압 숙성 및 초음파 처리공정은 낮은 온도에서 돈육을 빠른 시간안에 숙성하는데 적용 가능할 것으로 판단된다.
Meat aging methods consist of dry aging, wet aging, and water aging. Ultrasonic and high-pressure processing has been applied to enhance meat quality in the meat aging process. This study investigated the effects of pressure and ultrasonic processing on pork belly and shoulder. The vacuum-packed pork belly and shoulder were stored in a water chamber at 0.1 MPa or 1 MPa during aging and then ultrasonic treated with a strength of 40 kHz before quality characterization. The water holding capacity of the pressure treatment group was 94.23±1.87% for the belly and 93.93±0.86% for the shoulder, which was higher than other groups. The cooking loss was the lowest ultrasonic, pressure treatment group (26.73±1.08%) in the belly and pressure treatment group (28.06±1.85%) in the shoulder. The hardness showed the lowest ultrasonic and pressure treatment group in the belly (7.13±1.41 N) and shoulder (6.49±2.17 N). The L* and a* value of the belly were increased compared to the early days of storage. When pressure and ultrasound were treated on pork belly and shoulder, positive effects such as increased water holding capacity, reduced hardness and cooking loss, and improved color were observed.