Pale, soft, exudative meat, or PSE meat, describes a carcass quality condition known to occur in pork, beef, and poultry. It is characterized by an abnormal color, consistency, and water holding capacity, making the meat dry and unattractive to consumers. The condition is believed to be caused by abnormal muscle metabolism following slaughter, due to an altered rate of glycolysis and a low pH within the muscle fibers. A mutation point in the ryanodine receptor gene (RYR1) in pork,[1] associated to stress levels prior to slaughter are known to increase the incidence of PSE meat. Although the term "soft" may look positive, it refers to raw meat. When cooked, there is higher cook loss and the final product is hard, not juicy.
The malignant hyperthermia (MH) or porcine stress syndrome (PSS) are the terms used to refer to the state pigs are found before slaughter, which will result in PSE.
The other related defect is the dark, firm, dry (DFD) condition, or dark-cutter meat; it is also related to muscle glycogen metabolism and is the opposite result of PSE, i.e., it occurs if the post-mortem muscle pH is high.