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Post-mortem processing of export beef in Costa Rica
1Instituto Technológico de Costa Rica, Apartado 159, Cartago, Costa Rica.
Meat Science
|November 8, 2011
Summary
Electrical stimulation had minimal impact on beef tenderness, with high-voltage stimulation showing slightly better results than low-voltage. Meat pH significantly influenced palatability, suggesting enzymatic activity plays a key role.
Area of Science:
- Meat Science
- Food Technology
- Animal Science
Background:
- Electrical stimulation is a post-mortem treatment used to improve meat quality.
- Understanding the factors influencing beef tenderness is crucial for the meat industry.
- Intact male cattle (bulls) can present unique challenges in meat processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effects of low- and high-voltage electrical stimulation on beef quality.
- To investigate the impact of hot-boning and chilling rates on meat palatability.
- To explore the relationship between post-mortem pH and meat tenderness in intact male cattle.
Main Methods:
- Eighteen intact male beef animals were subjected to low-voltage (75V), high-voltage (350V) electrical stimulation, or served as controls.
- Hot-boning and various chilling rates were applied.
- Palatability traits including tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and overall desirability were assessed by a sensory panel.
- Muscle pH was measured at 1.5 hours post-slaughter and ultimate pH was determined.
Main Results:
- Mean muscle pH values were high across all groups (>6.4 at 1.5h), potentially due to pre-slaughter stress in intact males.
- Electrical stimulation and chilling treatments showed no significant differences in juiciness, flavor, or overall desirability.
- Low-voltage stimulation resulted in less tender meat compared to high-voltage stimulation (P<0.05), but not significantly different from the control.
- Meat with an ultimate pH >6 had significantly higher palatability scores (5.70) than meat with pH <6 (3.27).
Conclusions:
- Electrical stimulation had a limited effect on most beef palatability traits, with high-voltage showing a slight advantage in tenderness.
- The high ultimate pH observed in some samples may indicate increased neutral proteolytic enzyme activity, contributing to enhanced tenderness.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate the mechanisms by which pH influences tenderness in beef from intact male animals.
