326 Part III: Muscle Foods
is involved in the last step, which consists in the
conversion of pyruvic acid into lactic acid. The con-
tribution of glycolysis to pH drop is restricted to
a few hours postmortem, although it is also impor-
tant in fermented meats where sugar is added for
microorganism growth (see Chapter 15). The evolu-
tion of some glycolytic enzymes is shown in Figure
14.9.Figure 14.8.Evolution of nucleotides and nucleosides during the ageing of pork meat. (Adapted from Batlle et al.
2001.)
Figure 14.9.Evolution of -glucuronidase and N-acetyl--glucosaminidase during the processing of a dry-fermented
sausage. (Toldrá, unpublished data.)