Variability of Fresh Pork Belly Quality Evaluation Results Depends on Measurement Locations

The increase in pork demand has led to an especially high increase in demand for precisely quality-defined bellies. The aim of the study was to determine the influence of quality measurement location on the pork belly on the results of qualitative evaluation and then to recommend the main measurement locations required to determine the precise quality evaluation of the whole cut. The research material consisted of 92 fresh pork belly samples, each divided on 12 testing locations. The highest pH values were noted for M2 (5.74), M1 (5.70), and D3 (5.69) locations, as well as A4 (5.53; P ≤ 0.05) generating the most outliers. Location D2 was distinguished by generally obtaining the highest values for parameters L*, b*, C*, and H* and the lowest for a*; this was independent of the measurement side. The highest water holding capacity values were reported for D4 and D3 locations, and the lowest (about 7% lower than the maximal values) were obtained for A4 and A2 locations. The highest values for the cooking loss parameter were noted for D4, D1, and M4 (about 33%) locations, and the lowest values were observed for location M2 (only 22%). In the case of sensory evaluation between the analyzed locations, differences (P ≤ 0.05) were recorded for all parameters. It is recommended to evaluate belly quality using one location: A1 and M3 are most accurate. The highest position in the ranking for processing quality parameters was occupied by the middle locations: M4, M1, and M3. However, when consumers ranked important quality parameters, the highest positions were given to location A1 and then D3 and M2. From a practical point of view, it is highly recommended to take quality parameters from location A1, which is much easier to obtain, and obtaining samples from this location leads to the least damage to the structure of the whole commercial cut.