Restructured Beef Steaks Manufactured Using Carbon Dioxide, Oxygen and Carbon Monoxide Gas

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Meat Science
• Food Processing

Background:

• Restructured beef products offer a way to utilize less tender cuts.
• Controlling meat color and stability is crucial for consumer acceptance.
• Gaseous atmospheres during processing may influence meat quality attributes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effects of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide/nitrogen atmospheres on restructured beef steaks.
• To determine the impact of these gaseous treatments on proximate composition, color, and texture.
• To assess consumer-relevant quality changes in processed beef.

Main Methods:

• Restructured beef steaks were produced from USDA Utility and Choice beef.
• Meat was mixed with water and salt under different gas atmospheres (O2, CO2, CO/N2).
• Proximate analysis, Hunter color measurements, subjective color evaluation, and mechanical shear/binding tests were performed.

Main Results:

• Gaseous treatments did not alter proximate composition (moisture, fat, protein).
• Carbon monoxide treatment enhanced redness (Hunter 'a' and 'b') and reflectance.
• Carbon dioxide treatment negatively impacted color (reduced Hunter 'b' and reflectance) and increased discoloration.
• Oxygen treatment showed no significant effect on color or reflectance.
• Neither shear nor binding strength was affected by any gaseous treatment.

Conclusions:

• Carbon monoxide shows potential for improving the color of restructured beef steaks.
• Carbon dioxide treatment negatively affects meat color and appearance.
• Gaseous atmosphere treatments during mixing do not significantly alter the nutritional or textural properties of restructured beef steaks.