Evaluation of rib steak colour from Friesian, Hereford and Charolais heifers pastured or overwintered prior to slaughter

The Effect of Kosher Determinants of Beef on Its Color, Texture Profile and Sensory Evaluation

Traditional ritual slaughter is an underlying practice in religious Jewish communities and it translates into eating in accordance with core beliefs. This paper aims to comprehensively analyze factors determining the kosher status of beef (sex, slaughter method, and muscle type) and assess their impact on selected quality properties, such as color or texture profile. Sensory evaluation was also performed. The muscles were obtained from 80 carcasses (50% of heifers and 50% of young bulls). The experimental results indicate that each studied kosherness determinant influenced beef quality properties. The process of koshering caused the darkening of beef and lowered the share of color parameters red (a*) and yellow (b*). The influence of the type of slaughter on the values of adhesiveness, gumminess, and chewiness of beef was confirmed; higher values were mostly obtained in the muscles of cattle from kosher slaughter. As to sensory evaluation, the study showed that in the case of muscle type, the sex and slaughter method positively influenced only some of the properties.

Meat Substitution with Oat Protein Can Improve Ground Beef Patty Characteristics

The consumer acceptance of alternative plant-focused ingredients within the meat industry is growing globally. Oat protein is insoluble and used to increase product yield and fat retention. Furthermore, inclusion of oat protein can provide manufacturers another option for extending beef supplies. As the consumer diet shifts for improvements in nutritional density, oat protein is an alternative ingredient that lacks information on inclusion in a ground beef formulation. Coarse ground beef was allocated to one of four treatments, mixed with oat protein (0%, 1.5%, 3.5% and 4.5%), water, salt, pepper, textured vegetable protein, soy protein concentrate, and sodium tripolyphosphate. Meat blocks (n = 3 batches) were finely ground and formed into patties (N = 65/treatment). Patties were placed onto an expanded polystyrene tray, overwrapped with polyvinyl chloride film and displayed for 7 days. Instrumental color (L*, a*, and b*) decreased throughout simulated display (p = 0.0001). Increased usage rates of oat protein in patties resulted in greater cook yields (p = 0.0001). Objective measures of Allo-Kramer shear force values increased as oat protein inclusion rates increased (p = 0.0001). Oat protein can be incorporated in ground beef patties with positive effects on cook yield, but inclusion rate may have a deleterious impact on color and instrumental tenderness.

Influence of Plant-Based Proteins on the Fresh and Cooked Characteristics of Ground Beef Patties

Blended meat/plant products are capturing industry market space at the retail counter for value-added beef products. Plant protein ingredients can be added to meat formulations to create appealing and functional products. Ground beef was combined with one of three plant protein inclusion treatments: control, pea, oat, or rice, along with 5% textured vegetable protein (TVP) and 1.5% soy protein concentrate then formed into 226 g patties containing up to 10% plant-based proteins. Patties were analyzed for fresh and cooked characteristics throughout a 5- or 7-day retail display. The inclusion of plant-based proteins negatively affected the instrumental tenderness values which were greater (p < 0.01) in plant-inclusion patties compared to the control patties. The inclusion of plant proteins increased (p = 0.01) the cooking yield of patties compared to the control. Cooking time was longer (p = 0.04) for oat patties compared to the control patties. Cooked color values for vegetable inclusion patties did not affect (p = 0.12) lightness (CIE L*) values; however, redness (CIE a*) was greater (p < 0.01) for rice than all other treatments and yellowness (CIE b*) values were greater (p < 0.01) for all protein treatments compared to the control. Rice improved (p < 0.01) fresh a* values on day 5 of display compared to the control; whereas pea decreased (p = 0.04) values compared to the control. There was a treatment × day interaction (p < 0.01) on lipid oxidation values with a reduction in values on day 3 for all vegetable proteins compared to the control and on day 7 lipid oxidation was reduced (p ≤ 0.03) for oat patties.

Phytochemical Constituents and Antioxidant Activity of Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) Essential Oil on Ground Beef from Boran and Nguni Cattle

The global meat industry is characterised by a growing interest in natural preservative additives. This study determined the effect of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) essential oil (SBEO) on colour and lipid oxidation in minced beef. The phytoconstituents of SBEO were analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Thereafter, minced beef samples from Nguni and Boran cattle were treated with either no additives (control, C) or SBEO added at 2% (SB2), 4% (SB4), or 6% (SB6). The meat samples were aerobically packaged and stored (4 ± 1°C) for seven days for measurement of lightness (L⁎), redness (a⁎), yellowness (b⁎), hue, chroma, and lipid oxidation (acid-reactive substances, TBARS) on days 0, 4, and 7. Thirty-two bioactive compounds with reported antioxidant and antimicrobial and activities were identified in SBEO, including Estragole (41.40%), 1, 6-Octadien-3-ol, 3,7-dimethyl (29.49%), and trans-.alpha.-Bergamotene (5.32%). On days 0, 4, and 7, SB2, SB4, and SB6 had higher (P < 0.05) L⁎, a⁎, b⁎, hue, and chroma values; and on days 0 and 4 TBARS were lower (P < 0.05) in SB2 and SB4 than C and SB6. The addition of 2% and 4% SBEO improved colour and lipid oxidative stability, demonstrating potential for its use as a natural antioxidant additive in meat.

Beef quality traits of heifer in comparison with steer, bull and cow at various feeding environments

The present review has been focused largely on the sex type differences in beef quality among heifers, cows, steers and bulls in various feeding environments. Genetic groups, feeding systems and gender are the major factors that change carcass characteristics and fatty acid profiles of cattle. Studies identified that heifer beef has super characteristics in eating quality and a better healthy composition in fatty acids than steer, cow and bull. Diet influences the variation of fatty acid profile; particularly the level of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) interacts with breed and sex. Animals finished in pasture systems were reported to show better ratios of PUFA/ saturated fatty acids and n-6/n-3. Carcasses of roughage-fed beef are lighter and have less marbling and lower quality grades but have higher cutability than carcasses of grain-fed bulls. Heifers and cows are reported to deposit more fat than steers and bulls. Among males, lower production of testosterone by steers favors more fat thickness compared with bulls. Marbling greatly varies among cattle belonging to different sexes, and particularly, females have genetic makeup that efficiently controls deposition. The current review identified that heifers can be a premium beef brand, while steer beef currently take a large part of market share across the world.

Effect of finishing mode (pasture- or mixed-diet) on lipid composition, colour stability and lipid oxidation in meat from Charolais cattle

Effects of pasture- or mixed-diet finishing mode on colour and lipid stability were measured in meat from Charolais steers, heifers and cows of different ages after refrigerated storage. Meats from pasture- and mixed-diet finished cattle have more or less significant differences in lipid composition which will influence the colour and lipid stability. The mixed-diet finished cattle have about the same proportions of saturated and monounsaturated lipids as pasture-diet finished animals; on the contrary, cattle fed on grass have higher proportions of n-3 PUFA, and to a less extent, of n-6. Finishing diet had an important effect on lipid stability, meat from pasture-finished animals showing significantly lower TBA-RS level than meat from mixed-diet finished animals. Effect of diet was also significant on myoglobin content with a higher content of haeminic iron in mixed-diet finished animals. Effect of diet on colour stability was slight with a beneficial effect of pasture finishing mode, significant only in heifers, and after a meat storage of six days in air.

Current research in meat color

This review surveyed recent literature focused on factors that affect myoglobin chemistry, meat color, pigment redox stability, and methodology used to evaluate these properties. The appearance of meat and meat products is a complex topic involving animal genetics, ante- and postmortem conditions, fundamental muscle chemistry, and many factors related to meat processing, packaging, distribution, storage, display, and final preparation for consumption. These factors vary globally, but the variables that affect basic pigment chemistry are reasonably consistent between countries. Essential for maximizing meat color life is an understanding of the combined effects of two fundamental muscle traits, oxygen consumption and metmyoglobin reduction. In the antemortem sector of research, meat color is being related to genomic quantitative loci, numerous pre-harvest nutritional regimens, and housing and harvest environment. Our knowledge of postmortem chilling and pH effects, atmospheres used for packaging, antimicrobial interventions, and quality and safety of cooked color are now more clearly defined. The etiology of bone discoloration is now available. New color measurement methodology, especially digital imaging techniques, and improved modifications to existing methodology are now available. Nevertheless, unanswered questions regarding meat color remain. Meat scientists should continue to develop novel ways of improving muscle color and color stability while also focusing on the basic principles of myoglobin chemistry.

Colour of bovine subcutaneous adipose tissue: A review of contributory factors, associations with carcass and meat quality and its potential utility in authentication of dietary history

The colour of bovine subcutaneous (sc) adipose tissue (carcass fat) depends on the age, gender and breed of cattle. Diet is the most important extrinsic factor but its influence depends on the duration of feeding. Cattle produced under extensive grass-based production systems generally have carcass fat which is more yellow than their intensively-reared, concentrate-fed counterparts and this is caused by carotenoids from green forage. Although yellow carcass fat is negatively regarded in many countries, evidence suggests it may be associated with a healthier fatty acid profile and antioxidant content in beef, synonymous with grass feeding. Nonetheless, management strategies to reduce fat colour of grass-fed cattle are sought after. Current research suggests that yellow colour of this tissue is reduced if pasture-fed cattle are converted to a grain-based diet, which results in accretion of adipose tissue and dilution of carotenoids. Colour changes may depend on the initial yellow colour, the carotene and utilisable energy in the finishing diet, the duration of finishing, the amount of fat accumulated during finishing and the rate of utilisation of carotene from body fat. Differences in nutritional strategies which cause differences in fatty acid composition may be reflected by differences in fat colour and carotenoid concentration. Fat colour and carotenoids are prominent among a panoply of measurements which can aid the authentication of the dietary history and thus to some extent, the origin of beef, although this potential utility is complicated by the simultaneous rather than discrete use of forages and concentrates in real production systems.