Effect of pre rigor stretching on beef tenderness development

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Meat Science
• Postmortem Muscle Biology

Background:

• Beef tenderness is a critical quality attribute influencing consumer satisfaction.
• Postmortem aging and muscle processing techniques can impact beef quality.
• Understanding the effects of pre rigor interventions on meat tenderness is essential for the beef industry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of pre rigor stretching on the development of beef tenderness.
• To determine if increased muscle length through stretching influences key indicators of meat quality.

Main Methods:

• Beef loins (M. longissimus dorsi) were subjected to either stretching or non-stretching treatments.
• Meat samples were aged for 14 days at -1.5 °C.
• Sarcomere length, shear force, water-holding capacity, and proteolysis (desmin degradation) were measured at 1, 7, and 14 days.

Main Results:

• Stretching increased loin length by 33%, showing a trend towards increased sarcomere length (P=0.19).
• No significant differences were observed in shear force, purge, drip, or cooking losses between stretched and non-stretched treatments.
• Shear force values decreased significantly with extended aging times (P<0.05).
• Desmin degradation was not affected by the stretching treatment.

Conclusions:

• Pre rigor stretching, as applied in this study, does not enhance beef loin tenderness.
• The observed increase in muscle length did not translate into improved meat quality attributes.
• Current pre rigor stretching methods may not be sufficient to improve beef tenderness development.