Multivariate study of different beef quality traits from local Spanish cattle breeds

Area of Science:

• Meat Science
• Food Quality Analysis
• Animal Science

Background:

• Raw beef quality is crucial for consumer satisfaction and shelf-life.
• Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) is widely used to extend beef shelf-life.
• Understanding breed-specific traits is essential for optimizing beef quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate raw beef quality traits in four Spanish cattle breeds.
• To identify key indicators of quality degradation during modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) storage.
• To assess the influence of breed characteristics on meat stability.

Main Methods:

• Statistical analyses including correlation, factorial, discriminant, and multiple regression.
• Evaluation of physical, chemical, microbial, and sensory variables after 0, 5, 10, and 15 days of MAP storage.
• Analysis of color, pigments, microbial counts, lipid oxidation (TBA), pH, drip loss, and volatile compounds.

Main Results:

• Beef quality degradation correlated with increased volatile compounds, microbial counts (Enterobacteriaceae, APC), metmyoglobin (MMb), lightness (L*), yellowness (b*), drip loss, and TBA.
• Thiobarbituric acid (TBA), yellowness (b*), and metmyoglobin (MMb) showed potential as quality evaluation metrics.
• Fat-related variables and pH were not limiting factors for color and odor shelf-life under MAP, except for TBA.

Conclusions:

• Thiobarbituric acid (TBA), yellowness (b*), and metmyoglobin (MMb) are valuable indicators for assessing raw beef quality under MAP.
• Breed-specific characteristics, such as myoglobin concentration and fatty acid profile (PUFA/SFA ratio), influence meat oxidative stability.
• Optimizing MAP storage requires considering both breed traits and specific quality indicators for extended shelf-life.