Chemical composition and cooking properties of beef forequarter muscles of Mexican cattle from different genotypes

Beef forequarter muscles biceps brachii (BRB), brachialis (BRA), complexus (COM), splenius (SPL), infraspinatus (INF), teres major (TER), rhomboideus (RHO), subscapularis (SUB), supraspinatus (SUP), triceps brachii long-head (TRB) and triceps brachii lateral-head (TRI) were obtained from Mexican beef carcasses originated from Bos indicus (Bi, n=10) or Bos taurus (Bt, n=10) young bulls. Muscles were analyzed for WBSF, cooking loss, and moisture and fat contents. INF had the lowest WBSF (37.23N) and cooking loss (31.78%) of all. RHO exhibited the lowest moisture (72.62%) and highest fat content (5.23%) of all. Bi genotype exhibited higher WBSF (53.78, 48.69N), higher cook loss (36.27, 34.32%), higher fat content (2.93, 2.35%), and lower moisture content (73.70, 75.07%) than Bt. Further research is needed to estimate the actual consumer acceptance of beef forequarter muscles and their marketing potential as individual cuts in the Mexican market.     

The effect of sodium lactate,potassium lactate,carrageenan, whey protein concentrate,yeast extract and fungal proteinases on the cook yield and tenderness of bovine chuck muscles

This study evaluated the efficacy of injection with enhancement solutions containing sodium lactate (NaLac), potassium lactate (KLac), carrageenan, whey protein concentrate (WPC), yeast extract or fungal proteinases alone or in combination with NaCl at increasing the tenderness and cook yield of bovine M.supraspinatus and M. tricepsbrachii caput longum. Muscle sections (400 g) were injected with enhancement solutions at an injection rate of 110% to give specific residual concentrations as follows: 0.5% NaCl; 2% NaLac; 2% KLac; 0.5% NaCl + 1 or 2% NaLac; 0.5% NaCl + 1% KLac; 0.5% NaCl + 0.4% sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) + 2% NaLac; 0.5% NaCl + 0.4% STPP, 1.5% WPC ± 0.5% NaCl, 1.0% carrageenan ± 0.5% NaCl, 0.5% yeast extract or 0.0005% and 0.001% fungal enzymes. Injection with solutions containing sodium or potassium lactates (alone or in combination with NaCl and STPP), WPC, carrageenan and yeast extract significantly (P < 0.05) decreased WBSF values and increased sensory tenderness ratings, compared to non-injected controls. All of these ingredients in water also significantly (P < 0.05) increased cook yield with the exception of yeast extract which had no significant effect. The fungal enzymes in a water carrier acted as effective tenderising agents in both muscles but when used at the higher level resulted in a significant decrease in percentage cook yield. Injection of the chuck muscles with these ingredients and water represents an effective method of improving their tenderness and in most cases also increasing percentage cook yield.     

Effects of enhancement procedures on whole and re-formed beef forequarter muscles

Beef Supraspinatus and Triceps brachii muscles were subjected to three enhancement and/or re-forming treatments: (i) injected whole @ 15%w/w with salt-phosphate solution; (ii) injected and re-formed; (iii) injected with added flavouring and re-formed. The treated muscles were compared to whole uninjected controls. All injection treatments reduced shear force values of cooked samples and in most cases these reductions were reflected in sensory panel tenderness and chewiness ratings. For example, shear values for Supraspinatus were 83N/g in control samples and 50 in whole injected samples, while corresponding sensory panel tenderness ratings were 3.6 and 5.2. Enhanced samples did not differ from controls in sliceability or in colour and binding ratings, indicating that enhancement combined with re-forming can give an acceptable roast beef product. There were no differences in drip loss and very few differences in colour L*, a* and b* values for raw samples between any of the treatments. Addition of beef stock did not result in higher flavour ratings by sensory panels. Whole injected samples scored higher for flavour than both control (p<0.01) and injected+re-formed (p<0.05) samples.     

Effect of enhancement and ageing on flavor and volatile compounds in various beef muscles

To identify and quantify selected flavor-active volatile compounds and relate them to sensory characteristics, the gluteus medius (round), rectus femoris (round), vastus lateralis (round), vatsus medialis (round), teres major (chuck), infraspinatus (chuck), complexus (chuck), serratus ventralis (chuck), psoas major (loin) and longissimus dorsi (loin) were removed from heifer carcasses, enhanced, vacuum packaged, aged for 7 or 14days, steaks were cut, vacuum packaged and frozen (48h). Flavor-active volatiles affected by enhancement and ageing in the various muscles included nonanal, 2,3-octanedione, pentanal, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, 2-pentyl furan, 1-octen-3-ol, butanoic acid, pentanal and hexanoic acid, compounds often associated with lipid oxidation. Enhancement decreased hexanal and hexanoic acid. Ageing decreased butanoic acid. Pentanal content varied among muscles depending on enhancement and ageing. Livery off-flavor was positively correlated with pentanal, hexanal, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone and hexanoic acid. Rancid off-flavor was correlated with pentanal and with 2-pentyl furan but not with hexanal.     

The influence of cooking rate and holding time on beef chuck and round flavor

Steaks from seven muscles from 10 beef carcasses were cooked quickly or slowly and held 0 or 1 h to explore the influence of cooking rate and holding time on beef flavor. Moisture, ash, pH, and heme–iron concentration were determined for each muscle. Trained sensory panels evaluated the steaks for tenderness, juiciness, connective tissue, and off-flavor intensity in addition to identifying specific off-flavors. Off-flavor intensity was lowest when beef was cooked slowly (on a 149 °C gas grill instead of a 249 °C grill) and when it was held for 1 h prior to sensory evaluation. The M. infraspinatus had the least intense off-flavor and the M. vastus intermedius had the most intense off-flavor. Slow cooking or holding for 1 h prior to consumption reduced the intensity of off-flavor in value cuts from the beef chuck and round while chemical characteristics did not contribute to off-flavor in this study.     

Meat cut and injection level affects the tenderness and cook yield of processed roast beef

The effect of muscle cut used and brine injection level on the processing characteristics of small pre-cooked roast beef was determined. Meat cuts (inside, outside, eye of round, knuckle, clod, chuck roll and brisket) were cut into small roasts (750 g) and injected at three levels (110, 125 and 150% over raw roast weight) with a non-injected control. Muscle cuts from the chuck can be used to successfully manufacture cooked mini roast beef. However, the use of small roasts resulted in cook yields that are considerably less than what was expected with large intact muscle roasts. Some variation in tenderness between the muscles was seen, but when muscles were injected there was a significant increase in tenderness and a reduction in the variability in tenderness within the muscle. Roasts injected to 125% above green weight resulted in the highest cook yields.     

The effect of processing techniques and brine formulations on the development of surface sheen in enhanced beef strip loin steaks

The surface sheen phenomenon in enhanced beef steaks, packaged under modified atmosphere, was studied using various combinations of processing techniques and brine formulations. There was no effect (P > 0.05) of time between enhancement and when steaks were cut on surface sheen. Beef temperature less than 0 °C prior to enhancement, resulted in less (P ≤ 0.05) sheen and less retained pump (P ≤ 0.05) than beef greater than 2 °C. Removal of phosphate from the brine resulted in lower (P ≤ 0.05) sheen, and the addition of lactate decreased (P ≤ 0.05) sheen but resulted in less (P ≤ 0.05) retained pump. Sheen was correlated (P ≤ 0.05) with pump uptake (r = 0.58) and pH (r = -0.29). Results indicate that surface sheen can be significantly affected by ingredients used, but caution must be taken as retained brine and pH can also be affected, causing secondary influences on instrumental and visual traits.     

Profile of biochemical traits influencing tenderness of muscles from the beef round

The objective of this study was to define the biochemical differences that govern tenderness and palatability of economically important muscles from the beef round using cuts with known tenderness differences. At 24h postmortem, the longissimus dorsi (LD), gracillus (GR), adductor (AD), semimembranosus (SM), sartorius (SAR), vastus lateralis (VL), and vastus intermedius (VI) muscles were removed from ten market weight beef cattle. Sensory and biochemical characteristics were determined in each cut and compared with the LD. The GR, SAR and VI had sensory traits similar to the LD while the SM, AD and VL differed. The GR, SAR, AD, and SM all had multiple biochemical characteristics similar to the LD, while the VI and AD had numerous biochemical differences. While no one biochemical characteristic can be used to predict tenderness across all muscles, analysis of the biochemical characteristics revealed that in most beef round cuts postmortem proteolysis provided a good indication of the tenderization occurring during aging.     

Tenderness and collagen composition of beef semitendinosus roasts cooked by conventional convective cooking and modeled, multi-stage, convective cooking

Beef semitendinosus roasts were cooked in a forced-air convection oven using conventional or modeled, multi-stage cooking. Conventional cooking was defined as cooking at 163°C to a core endpoint of 65°C. The model method was developed using a finite difference heat and mass transfer model optimized for a three-stage cooking process that included preheating, holding, and finishing. Model cooking resulted in lower (P<0.05) Warner–Bratlzer peak shear force values than conventional cooking (3.3 vs 4.7 kg). Collagen total unaltered fraction was lower (44 vs 55%, P=0.05) and enzyme labile fraction was higher (56 vs 45%, P<0.05) in the model-cooked samples than in conventionally cooked samples. The three-stage cooking process results in a more tender product without adversely affecting product yield.     

Effect of sampling fat location and cooking on fatty acid composition of beef steaks

To investigate the impact of sampling fat location and cooking on fatty acid composition of beef steaks, 21 raw steaks from crossbred steers were dissected to obtain outer (OSC) and inner subcutaneous fat (ISC), seam fat, marbling, and lean muscle. Twenty-one cooked steaks were dissected to obtain OSC, ISC, seam fat, surface and inner muscle. Trans-vaccenic acid and c9, t11-CLA percentages were lower (P < 0.05) in lean muscle than subcutaneous (s.c.) fat or marbling. Monounsaturated: saturated fatty acid ratios were lower (P < 0.05) in seam fat and marbling than s.c. fat or lean muscle. Linoleic and linolenic acid levels were highest in lean muscle and longer chain n−6 and n−3 fatty acids were only detected in lean muscle. Cooking did not change fatty acid composition dramatically except that n−6: n−3 ratio in s.c. and seam fat decreased after cooking (P < 0.05).     

Effect of age and cut on cooking loss, juiciness and flavour of South African beef

The juiciness and flavour characteristics of 15 aged primal beef cuts of electrically stimulated carcasses, from three different age groups, were assessed (n=61). Cooking losses were determined and proximate analyses (moisture, fat, nitrogen and ash) were performed. Tender cuts were cooked by a dry heat method, and less tender cuts were cooked by moist heat methods. A trained panel (n=10) evaluated sensory quality characteristics including initial and sustained juiciness, aroma and flavour. Flavour intensity was the biggest discriminant between the three age groups and declined with an increase in age. Initial impression of juiciness decreased with increased age of the animal and cooking losses increased nonlinearly with age, irrespective of the muscle. In contrast sustained juiciness increased with increased age. Cuts cooked according to a dry heat cooking method were reported juicier (both initial and sustained) than those cooked by moist heat methods.     

The effect of muscle, cooking method and final internal temperature on quality parameters of beef roast

The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of cooking conditions (dry air and steam) and final internal temperature (75, 85, 95°C) on the physico-chemical properties of beef infraspinatus (INF) and semimembranosus (SEM) muscles as well as their tenderness and juiciness. Cooking method and temperature influenced moisture, total collagen content in cooked meat and cooking loss, whereas muscle type affected fat, total collagen content and cooking loss. Warner-Bratzler shear force values were affected by cooking method, which also influenced juiciness of roasts. Temperature affected tenderness and juiciness, whereas muscle type influenced juiciness. The most desirable tenderness had INF heated in steam and dry air to 95°C. Processing SEM in dry air to 85 and 95°C lowered the juiciness of the roasts. There were significant correlations between physico-chemical, sensorial and image attributes, however high accuracy of prediction (r(2)>0.8) was achieved only for SEM muscle.     

The effects of postmortem product handling and aging time on beef palatability

The effects of postmortem handling and aging time were investigated on the palatability attributes of beef at weekly intervals up to four weeks using both an experienced laboratory panel and a highly trained, flavour/texture profile panel. The presence of bone in intact meat cuts reduced both cooking times and cooking losses, irrespective of postmortem handling treatment. Bone-in (intact), vacuum packaged meat cuts were more tender initially and overall and had less perceived connective tissue and lower shear force values than conventionally aged controls and controlled atmosphere, boneless, display-ready cuts. Boneless, vacuum packaged cuts also were more tender overall than controlled atmosphere, boneless, display-ready cuts. Both bone-in (intact) and boneless, vacuum packaged cuts were rated higher in juiciness and flavour desirability than conventionally aged controls and controlled atmosphere, boneless, display-ready cuts. Bone-in (intact), vacuum packaged cuts were also perceived to have a more intense beef flavour than cuts receiving any other postmortem handling treatment. Consequently, both bone-in (intact) and boneless vacuum packaged cuts were rated higher in overall palatability than conventionally aged controls and controlled atmosphere, boneless, display-ready cuts. However, detailed flavour and texture profile analysis indicated steaks could be aged for up to four weeks without influencing the overall quality of the flavour or texture, irrespective of postmortem handling treatment. Both initial and overall tenderness improved progressively and Warner–Bratzler shear force values and the amount of perceived connective tissue decreased progressively as postmortem storage was extended. In addition, both flavour intensity and desirability increased progressively with the extension of postmortem aging. Consequently, postmortem aging appeared to be beneficial to all palatability attributes, except juiciness. Therefore, steaks can be aged for up to four weeks to obtain substantial improvements in overall texture, without adversely affecting overall flavour quality, irrespective of postmortem handling treatment.     

Microstructure and protein digestibility of beef: The effect of cooking conditions as used in stews and curries

Beef meat was cooked at 373 K for 10 and 30 min to investigate the effect of the cooking conditions generally used during beef stew and curry preparation on protein digestibility. The cooked meats, along with a raw control, were digested using an in vitro digestion model to simulate gastric and small-intestinal conditions. Samples taken at different digestion times were analyzed using SDS-PAGE, RP-HPLC, ninhydrin assays for amino N and transmission electron microscopy. Simulated gastric conditions quickly led to the loss of basic sarcomere structure in raw meat myofibrils whereas the sarcomere structure of the compact cooked meat myofibrils remained intact after 30 min of gastric digestion. Prolonged cooking of meat (30 min) resulted in incomplete digestion of small MW (<10 kDa) peptides, as observed from SDS-PAGE. This agreed with the amount of ninhydrin-reactive amino N released during digestion, which decreased with an increase in cooking time. The RP-HPLC peak areas of the major identified amino acids (tryptophan, tyrosine and phenylalanine) also decreased with an increase in cooking time. This suggested the formation of “limit peptides” during prolonged cooking of beef, which were not further broken down into free amino acids by digestive enzymes and therefore might not be bioavailable.     

Effect of different cooking regimes on rhubarb polyphenols

Polyphenolic components, such as anthraquinones and stilbenes, from species of the genus Rheum have been shown to have a range of bioactivities relevant to human health. This paper outlines the polyphenolic composition of edible petioles of garden rhubarb (Rheum rhapontigen) and describes the effects of common cooking methods on total polyphenolic content, anthocyanin content and total antioxidant capacity.     

Changes in the content of biologically active polyamines during beef loin storage and cooking

Dietary polyamines putrescine (PUT), spermidine (SPD) and spermine (SPM) participate in numerous human physiological processes, including tumour growth. Reliable information on their contents in foods is thus needed. Data for processed beef are very limited. Nine experiments with beef loin (longissimus lumborum) were, therefore, carried out. Loin cuts were stored at −18 °C for 178 days or beef was stored aerobically, vacuum-packaged (VP) and packaged in a modified atmosphere (MA; 70% N₂ and 30% CO₂, v/v) at +2 °C for 9, 21 and 21 days, respectively. The effects of three usual cooking treatments were also tested. Polyamines were determined after extraction with perchloric acid as dansyl derivatives using an HPLC method. Only SPM was detected at initial levels of 23.5–27.5 mg kg⁻¹, PUT and SPD contents were below the detection limits of 1.2 and 1.7 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. SPM content increased during the initial weeks of frozen storage and then gradually decreased to about 70% of the initial values at the end of the storage period (P < 0.05). No apparent SPM decrease was observed during aerobic storage for 9 days, while in VP and MA variants the losses were about 20% of the initial values on day 21 (P < 0.05). Slightly higher mean SPM losses were observed during boiling and stewing with and without added water. The differences among the cooking treatments were not significant. However, significant differences were observed among the loins used.     

The effect of hot-boning and reduced added phosphate on the processing and sensory properties of cured beef prepared from two forequarter muscles

The functionality of pre-rigor beef was investigated in terms of the effects of phosphate reduction and curing of hot-boned meat on the processing and sensory properties of relatively low-value muscles, M. infraspinatus (IS) and M. pectoralis profundus (PP), from the forequarter. Muscles were excised within 90 min post-mortem (HB) or, from chilled carcasses, 24 h post-mortem (CB), and were injected to 115% of green weight with brine containing phosphate and were vacuum tumbled continuously for 2 h. Hot-boning gave lower total yield of cooked meat for both muscles. Hot-boned PP joints had slightly higher (P < 0.05) cook loss than cold-boned. Reduction of added phosphate (from sodium tri-polyphosphate) from 0.3% to 0.15% of cured meat had detrimental effects on colour; joints containing the conventional 0.3% were lighter (P < 0.001) and redder for both muscles. Hot-boning gave PP joints which were rated less tender by sensory panels, corresponding with higher (P < 0.001) hardness TPA values, higher (P < 0.05) Warner–Bratzler shear force (WBSF) values and shorter (P < 0.05) sarcomere lengths. Effects of phosphate level and boning method were less in IS joints. In these, hot-boning gave products that were rated by sensory panel as slightly more tender but there was no effect on TPA or WBSF values. Furthermore, total yields from hot-boned products did not reflect the expected increase in functionality and reducing added phosphate during processing had a detrimental effect in binding and forming of joints.