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Exploring the Longissimus Muscle: Unraveling its Correlation with Meat Quality in Bos indicus and Crossbred Bulls
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Published on: July 12, 2024

Early-postmortem cooling rate and beef tenderness.

J V Lochner1, R G Kauffman, B B Marsh

  • 1Muscle Biology and Meat Science Laboratory, University of Wisconsin, 1805 Linden Drive, Madison, W153706, USA.

Meat Science
|November 8, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Beef tenderness is primarily linked to early postmortem muscle temperature, not cold shortening. Slow cooling in the first few hours postmortem significantly enhances beef tenderness, especially in well-finished carcasses.

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Area of Science:

  • Meat Science
  • Animal Science
  • Food Science

Background:

  • Meat tenderness is a critical quality attribute influencing consumer satisfaction.
  • Early postmortem factors significantly impact meat quality, including tenderness.
  • Understanding the relationship between chilling rates and beef tenderness is essential for the meat industry.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of different early postmortem cooling rates on beef loin steak tenderness.
  • To determine the relationship between muscle temperature at specific postmortem intervals and sarcomere length.
  • To elucidate the primary mechanisms influencing beef tenderness, distinguishing between cold shortening and cooling rates.

Main Methods:

  • Five fat and five lean steer carcasses were subjected to two distinct cooling conditions (-2°C moving air vs. 9°C static air) on opposing sides.
  • Early postmortem cooling rates were measured in the longissimus muscle.
  • Tenderness and sarcomere length of loin steaks were evaluated in relation to cooling rates and muscle temperatures at 2 hours postmortem.

Main Results:

  • The fastest cooling group exhibited the least tender beef with the shortest sarcomeres.
  • Tenderness was strongly and linearly correlated with muscle temperature at 2 hours postmortem (27-40°C).
  • Cold shortening was not a significant factor in tenderness, except in very rapidly chilled lean carcasses.

Conclusions:

  • Slow chilling, particularly the retardation of cooling in the first 2-4 hours postmortem, is the primary driver of enhanced beef tenderness.
  • The superior tenderness of well-finished beef is largely attributed to slower early postmortem cooling rates.
  • Muscle temperature achieved early postmortem, rather than avoidance of cold shortening temperatures, is the key determinant of beef tenderness.