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Title: CHARACTERISTICS OF USDA UTILITY COW BEEF SUBJECTED TO BLADE TENDERIZATION AND HYDRODYNAMIC SHOCK WAVES

Author
item SCHILLING, M - VPI&SU
item MARRIOTT, NORMAN - VPI&SU
item WANG, HOWARD - VPI&SU
item Solomon, Morse

Submitted to: Journal of Muscle Foods
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/5/2003
Publication Date: 4/10/2003
Citation: SCHILLING, M.W., MARRIOTT, N.G., WANG, H., SOLOMON, M.B. CHARACTERISTICS OF USDA UTILITY COW BEEF SUBJECTED TO BLADE TENDERIZATION AND HYDRODYNAMIC SHOCK WAVES. JOURNAL OF MUSCLE FOODS. 2003. v. 14. p. 131-142.

Interpretive Summary: Meat tenderness is considered to be one of the most important sensory characteristics by the consumer. Tenderness enhancement of beef from mature cattle is especially important since increased chronological age is associated with decreased tenderness. Hydrodynamic pressure processing (HDP) has been shown to be effective at improving tenderness in meat from young cattle but not from older cattle. This difference could be due to HDP ability to tear the muscle fiber structure of meat but not the connective tissue component. Blade tenderization (BT) technology is used commercially to increase meat tenderness by partial severance of both connective tissue and muscle fibers. However, food safety issues (introducing bacteria into the inside of meat products) are a concern when using BT. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of combining HDP and BT to enhance meat tenderness of mature cow beef and the combined effect on bacteria. Both HDP and combining HDP with BT were effective at improving meat tenderness of cow beef. No additive effects of combining the two treatments were observed for tenderness. HDP either alone or in combination with BT reduced the bacteria present in the meat. Results suggest that using the HDP treatment either alone or in combination with BT offers more potential for marketing beef from mature cattle than BT alone.

Technical Abstract: Longissimus lumborum samples were removed 24 h postmortem from six U.S. Utility carcasses to be utilized in determining the effects of tenderness enhancement methods and aging time on quality attributes of beef. Within each sample, sections were randomly assigned to hydrodynamic shock waves (HSW), blade tenderization (BT), a combination of BT and HSW (HSBT), or no treatment (C). Steaks within each treatment (excluding HSW) were aged for 7 and 14 d. Sensory evaluation included subjective ratings for myofibrillar tenderness, connective tissue amount, and overall tenderness. Objective measurements included thaw and cooking loss, shear force, and standard plate count. HSW and HSBT were effective in decreasing (P<0.05) Warner-Bratzler peak force, total energy, and standard plate count. However, aging time (14 d) was more effective (P<0.05) in decreasing peak force shear values than BT, HSW, or HSBT. Sensory values, thaw loss, and cooking loss were not affected (P>0.05) by any treatments.