Temperature-Controlled Transportation Preserves Hot Fresh Pork Quality: The Balance Between Color Stability and Shelf-Life

Hot fresh pork is highly preferred by Chinese consumers for its desirable flavor and color. However, its quality deteriorates rapidly during ambient-temperature transportation, leading to unappealing meat color and shortened shelf life. This study investigated the effects of different transportation temperature setpoints (5 °C, 10 °C, 15 °C Setpoint groups, and ambient temperature) on pork carcass quality. Transportation at the lower setpoints (5 °C, 10 °C) reduced carcass center temperature, attenuated pH decline, minimized cooking and drip losses, suppressed microbial proliferation, and curtailed TVB-N accumulation (<i>p</i> < 0.05). These conditions also shortened the duration of high temperatures in vehicles, decelerated glycogenolysis, and moderated energy metabolism, collectively preserving meat quality. Regarding color, 5 °C Setpoint group inhibited myoglobin oxidation, yielding lower oxygenated myoglobin content and reduced a* values compared with 10 °C Setpoint group over 150 km (<i>p</i> < 0.05). High-throughput sequencing revealed that temperature setpoint transportation significantly influenced bacterial community succession, with highly similar profiles between the 5 °C and 10 °C Setpoint groups, yet clear divergence from the ambient control. Therefore, transportation at 10 °C Setpoint represents a balanced approach to preserving color, delaying spoilage, and extending shelf life.