Effects of Pre-cooking Methods on Quality Characteristics of Reheated Marinated Pork Loin

We evaluated the effects of pre-cooking methods on the quality of reheated marinated pork loin. Frozen marinated pork loins cooked using various methods (boiling, grilling, pan frying, infrared cooking, and superheated steam cooking) were reheated in a microwave, and their pH, color, cooking loss, re-heating loss, total loss, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) value, sensory properties, and shear force were determined. Although all parameters varied with different cooking methods, lightness values and TBARS values showed the tendency to decrease and increase, respectively, after reheating. Superheated steam-cooked samples showed the lowest values of cooking loss, total loss, TBARS value, and shear force (p<0.05) and the highest lightness, redness, and yellowssness values and juiciness, chewiness, and overall acceptability scores (p<0.05). These results show that pre-cooking with superheated steam maintains the quality characteristics of marinated pork loin upon reheating. Therefore, pre-cooking with superheated steam may be beneficial for the commercial distribution of frozen cooked marinated pork loin.