Influence of Cooking Rate, Endpoint Temperature, Post-cook Hold Time, and Myoglobin Redox State on Internal Color Development of Cooked Ground Beef Patties

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Three experiments investigated cooking rate, endpoint temperature, post-cook holding time, and raw myoglobin redox-state effects on ground beef internal cooked color. In Experiment 1, patties were cooked to endpoint temperatures of 65.6 °C, 71.1 °C, 76.7 °C, 82.2 °C, or 87.8 °C rapidly (1 °C/s), slowly (0.2 °C/s), or rapidly with 6-min post-cook holding time at 104 °C. Patties cooked slowly to less than 76.7 °C were more well done (P 0.05). In Experiment 3, patties cooked rapidly to 71.1 °C, 76.7 °C, or 82.2 °C from a predominantly raw oxymyoglobin state were less pink and had more denatured myoglobin than did those cooked from a predominantly deoxymyoglobin state (P < 0.05). Prediction equations determined that 80% of myoglobin must be denatured to create a well-done appearance. Using a slow cooking rate, post-cook holding time, or cooking from a highly oxygenated state will increase myoglobin denaturation and foster a well-done appearance.