Color of fresh, frozen and cooked ground beef patties manufactured with mechanically recovered neck bone lean

Mechanical systems that recover lean tissue from beef vertebrae without grinding bone material are in use in major packing plants across the country. Our objective was to determine the effects of mechanically recovered neck bone lean (MRNL) on color stability of fresh, frozen and cooked ground beef patties. Ground beef patties at two fat levels (10 and 20%) and four MRNL levels (0, 15, 30 and 45%) were analyzed for percentage surface metmyoglobin (metMb) and HunterLab L (∗) and a (∗) values over 12 days of fresh display and 18 weeks of frozen storage. Data were collected for three replications of the experiment. Mechanically recovered neck bone lean caused an increase in surface metMb up to 7 days of retail display; however, patties made with higher levels of MRNL showed a rapid decrease in surface metMb from days 8 to 12. Both the increase and decrease in surface metMb may be due to microbial effects, which were greater at increased levels of MRNL. Patties made with 30 and 45% MRNL showed greater (p < 0.05) surface metMb by 18 weeks of frozen storage than controls; however, patties with 15% MRNL were not different (p > 0.05) than controls. HunterLab L (∗) values for cooked patties decreased in a linear fashion (p < 0.01, R(2) = 0.70) as MRNL level increased.