Abstract
Three groups of male Friesian veal calves (in total, 92) were slaughtered in separate series. Within each group, a subgroup (selected on the basis of blood characteristics determined 1 week ante mortem) was electrically stimulated immediately after bleeding (64 s-Mitab® Low voltage unit). Carcasses were transferred ca. 25 min post mortem (pm) to a cooler at 6°C and ca 2 h pm to a cooler at 3°C. Electrical stimulation (ES) increased brightness and, to a lesser extent, yellowness, of the freshly cut surface (6th rib Longissimus dorsi, 24 h pm) but resulted also in a diminished water-holding capacity (WHC) of the veal meat. The effect of ES on tenderness (Warner-Bratzler shear force, 48 h pm) is positive for two of the three groups but negative for the third. This indicates that ES probably results in two opposite effects on tenderness—‘toughening’, as a result of the sarcomere shortening which occurred in all three groups, and ‘tenderizing’, as a result of microscopical fibre disruption. Our data indicate that disadvantages of ES may outweigh advantages when followed by moderate cooling.
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