Color - Texture- Exudation
PSE	Pale pinkish gray, very Soft and Exudative.  Undesirable appearance and shrinks excessively.	RFN	Reddish pink, Firm and Non-exudative.  "Ideal" Desirable color, firmness and water-holding capacity	DFD	Dark purplish red, very Firm and Dry.  Firm and sticky surface, high water-holding capacity

The quality of fresh pork varies greatly.  The quality levels shown above will appear differently to chefs and consumers, taste differently when cooked, and perform differently when converted to processed products.  High quality pork has greater monetary value than low quality pork.  Quality can be evaluated by simply visual appraisal, or it can be determined more accurately by scientific tests.  This chart may be used to help identify variations in pork quality.

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