Impact of muscle type and sodium chloride concentration on the quality, sensory, and instrumental color characteristics of solution enhanced whole-muscle beef
Introduction
Solution enhancement technology has been utilized for decades by the meat industry to help assure a more palatable product. Many researchers have reported improved beef sensory tenderness and juiciness (McGee et al., 2003, Vote et al., 2000). This improved palatability can provide a more acceptable product to the consumer (Robbins et al., 2003). While the improved palatability and increased consumer acceptance are important factors, equally important is the color and color stability of the meat product. The visual appearance of the meat product is extremely important to the consumer and affects the consumer’s purchasing decision (Faustman and Cassens, 1990, Kropf et al., 1986). While Baublits, Pohlman, Brown, and Johnson (2005b) reported improved palatability of beef biceps femoris steaks enhanced with phosphate and sodium chloride, Baublits, Pohlman, Brown, and Johnson (2005a) reported general decreased color stability of phosphate and salt enhanced biceps femoris steaks compared to untreated steaks. Similarly, Robbins et al. (2002) reported inferior color and shortened shelf-life for phosphate and sodium chloride enhanced vs. untreated beef semimembranosus muscles. While evaluating the independent effects of different phosphates without sodium chloride, it was found that phosphates alone were unable to improve palatability, but allowed for similar or superior color characteristics relative to untreated biceps femoris steaks (Baublits, Pohlman, Brown, & Johnson, 2006a). Therefore, phosphate, in conjunction with sodium chloride generally aids in improving palatability but can diminish color characteristics.
The ability to improve palatability with the intent to increase consumer acceptance while simultaneously maintaining product color for purchasing appeal is an important concept. Additionally, differing beef muscle types are inherently different in terms of palatability (Rhee, Wheeler, Shackelford, & Koohmaraie, 2004), and in terms of color stability (McKenna et al., 2005). This variability among muscle types may require differing levels of sodium chloride utilized in conjunction with phosphate to achieve improved palatability and color stability in differing muscles. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate solution enhanced meat quality characteristics, and possible interactive effects of muscle type and sodium chloride concentration for three different beef muscles varying in composition and palatability.
Section snippets
Muscles
Fresh beef bottom round subprimals (IMPS 171b; n = 10), fresh beef clods (IMPS 114; n = 10), and fresh beef strip loins (IMPS 180; n = 10) from USDA Select carcasses were obtained from a commercial packing plant at 3-d postmortem, transported to the University of Arkansas red meat abattoir and stored at 1 °C for 60 h. Subsequently, muscle sections were removed from vacuum-sealed bags and all external fat and adjacent muscles were removed from the biceps femoris (BF), infraspinatus (IS), and longissimus
pH
Results pertaining to pre-enhancement and post-enhancement pH values are reported in Table 1. The IS had the highest (P < 0.05) pre-enhancement pH, whereas the BF and LM had similar (P > 0.05) pH values. Following a similar trend, post-enhancement pH values of the muscles indicated that the IS had a higher (P < 0.05) pH than either the BF or LM. The IS has predominately red muscle fibers whereas the BF and LM have predominately white muscle fibers (Kirchofer, Calkins, & Gwartney, 2002). These fiber
Summary
With interactive effects generally being non-significant in the present study, the enhancement treatments seemed to perform similarly across muscle types. That is, increasing salt concentrations generally allowed for increased water retention and cooked yields, while improving palatability. However, increasing salt concentrations also generally contributed to diminished color. Muscles facing challenges in terms of decreased palatability, such as the biceps femoris could benefit from enhancement
Acknowledgments
Appreciation is expressed to the Arkansas Beef Council for funding this research. The support of Tyson Foods Inc., Springdale, AR and Astaris, LLC, St. Louis, MO, during these trials is appreciated. Additionally, the authors express their gratitude to P. Dias-Morse, S. Quilo Ortiz, J. Sawyer, and J. Stephenson for their assistance during these trials.
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