Optimum number of technical replicates for the measurement of compression of lamb meat

Up to six (average 4.63) replicate compression values were collected on cooked m. semimembranosus of lambs that had been raised at six sites across southern Australia (n=1817). Measurements on each sample were made with one of two Lloyd Texture analyser machines, with each machine having a 0.63 cm diameter plunger. Based on a log normal model with common variance on the log scale for within sample replicate results, estimates of the within sample variability of compression values were obtained, resulting in a quality control procedure for compression testing based on the coefficient of variation.