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The objective of this study was to analyze the incidence of dark cuts in beef and their relationship with post mortem muscle pH and how it affects the quality of the final product. Dark cuts are caused by inadequate muscle pH, which results in dark color and dry texture. Data were collected from 68 Brahman animals from two farms. Samples were taken 24 hours post mortem from the longissimus dorsi muscle. A simple quadratic regression model without interception and Pearson's correlation coefficient were used for statistical analysis. The incidence of dark cuts was 16.2% (n=11; pH ?5.8) of which nine animals belonged to farm one. A strong negative correlation (P<0.01) was observed between pH and color, suggesting an inverse relationship between the two. As pH increases, color values decrease. A weak negative correlation (P<0.05) was also observed between pH and carcass weight. It is likely that an increase in pH is associated with a decrease in carcass weight; however, the magnitude of this relationship is low, suggesting that other factors may have a more significant influence on weight.
