Abstract:Abstract: The appropriate concentrations of various tenderization agents including papain, calcium chloride, sodium chloride added into pork were achieved through detecting the shear strength and water loss rate in cooking. A response model was established by the Box-Behnken response surface method. The paper analyzed the effects of papain concentration, sodium chloride concent- ration, calcium chloride concentration and their interactions on pork tenderness and water loss rate in cooking. The results showed that the response model was valid in analyzing and predicting tenderization effect and water loss rate in cooking effect. Pork tenderness was significantly improved by papain and calcium chloride. Water loss rate in cooking was significantly improved by sodium chloride. By solving the regression equation and also by analyzing the response surface contour plots, the optimal proportion of compound tenderizer on pork tenderness was determined: papain concentration 120U/mL, sodium chloride concentration 6%, calcium chloride concentration 3.5%. Under the above-mentioned conditions, the shear force and water loss rate in cooking of pork longissimus dorsi were 2.10 kg and 34.5%, consequently, the pork tenderization effect was satisfactory.