Effect of post-mortem temperature on beef tenderness

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Meat Science
• Post-mortem Muscle Physiology

Background:

• Meat tenderness is a critical quality attribute influenced by post-mortem conditions.
• Conventional chilling methods can impact meat texture and consumer acceptance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of high-temperature conditioning on beef tenderness.
• To compare the efficacy of different conditioning temperatures and durations on post-mortem beef muscles.

Main Methods:

• Beef adductor muscles were incubated at various temperatures (10°C, 30°C, 37°C, 42°C) for different durations post-mortem.
• Muscles were either cooked immediately or after 2 days of storage at 4°C.
• Shear force measurements and organoleptic evaluations were used to assess tenderness.

Main Results:

• High-temperature conditioning (37°C for 6h or 42°C for 4-6h) significantly reduced shear force, indicating increased tenderness.
• Organoleptic evaluation confirmed that meat conditioned at 42°C for 6h was more tender.
• Storage effects showed that conditioning at 37°C or 42°C for 6h resulted in more tender meat than conditioning at 30°C.

Conclusions:

• High-temperature conditioning (≥37°C for 6h, or 42°C for 4h) post-slaughter improves beef tenderness.
• This method offers a promising alternative to conventional cooling for enhancing meat quality.
• Optimized high-temperature conditioning can lead to more tender beef products.