Effects of Injection Enhancement Carrageenan, Sea-salt, and Potassium Lactate on Beef longissimus lumborum Muscle Sensorial Characteristics and Color Stability

Nakia Lee Vijendra Sharma

doi:10.4172/2157-7110.1000400

Abstract

To determine the effects of injection ingredients and USDA quality grade response on meat color stability, beef strip loins representing two quality grades (USDA Choice and Select) were enhanced with either 0.25 CG [0.25% kappa-carrageenan + 1% sea salt + 0.3% sodium tripolyphosphate]; 0.50 CG [0.50% kappa-carrageenan + 1% sea salt + 0.3% sodium tripolyphosphate; or 2.5 KL [2.5% potassium lactate + 1% sea salt + 0.3% sodium tripolyphosphate]; or NEC = non-enhanced control. Changes in surface color, visual appearance, discoloration, and metmyoglobin formation during a 7 d retail display at 2°C were evaluated. Enhancement with 0.50 CG and 2.5 KL affected (P<0.05) display color properties and metmyoglobin reduction. Enhanced Choice steaks outperformed Select steaks in color stability and palatability characteristics and enhancement with 2.5 KL induced red color darkening in enhanced steaks. This study shows that kappa-carrageenan will effectively enhance color stability, improve expected eating quality, and minimize discoloration during retail display and storage.

Highlights

Meat color is an important quality attribute that consumers associate with freshness of retail products
Effects of enhancement treatment × quality grade: In the present experiment, quality grade interacted with treatments and affected instrumental color properties (L*, a*, b*, Hue angle, and Saturation Index (SI))
The results of this study suggest that an enhancement strategy for beef is both ingredient and quality grade specific, and the meat industry should consider optimizing their approach to meat enhancement strategy based on current usage of meat quality grades

Summary

Introduction

Meat color is an important quality attribute that consumers associate with freshness of retail products. Discoloration due to inconsistencies in quality and ineffective control of other influences on meat color cause billions of retail sales dollars lost each year. Meeting consumer expectations for a consistent, high-quality meat product has been a challenge for the US beef industry. Quality grades are a subjective quality assessment used in the beef industry to describe the expected eating quality of beef. Changes in the skeletal characteristics with animal age is critical, differences in quality grades of beef do not follow a definitive pattern of meat quality degradation and differences in expected eating quality. Differences in quality grades of beef with inherent differences in intrinsic quality traits may affect meat color stability and other sensory characteristics

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