Profile of Producers and Production of Dry-Aged Beef in Brazil.

Jonatã Henrique Rezende-De-Souza,Sérgio Bertelli Pflanzer,Flavio Andre Bolini Cardello,Ana Paula Moraes De Paula,Felipe A Ribeiro,Chris R Calkins

doi:10.3390/foods10102447

Jonatã Henrique Rezende-De-Souza, Sérgio Bertelli Pflanzer + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10102447

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Abstract

No information is currently available on the profile of producers and production process of dry-aged beef in Brazil, to the best of the authors’ knowledge. We surveyed 37 Brazilian companies that were producing dry-aged beef in 2020 to investigate this market. The absolute and relative frequency of responses was calculated to obtain the sum, average, minimum, and maximum values. From the respondents, dry-aged beef was first produced in 2009, and most producers are located in big cities. Most respondents control and monitor chamber temperature; however, humidity and air velocity only are monitored. The aging period (mostly between 22 to 60 days) was the main indicator of product readiness. The process losses (water loss and crust trimming) can reach 65%. Some producers perform microbiological analyses to ensure product safety and others use tools such as GMP and SOP. The results of this survey may help governmental institutions to develop a standardized industrial protocol for producing dry-aged beef in Brazil.

Highlights

Respondents were asked about the year when they started dry-aged beef production (Table 1)
Our survey showed that the first record of dry-aged beef production occurred in by one of the enterprises
The present survey provides an overview of producers and process profiles of dryaged beef currently applied in Brazil

Summary

Introduction

Brazil has one of the largest livestock populations worldwide, with the world’s second largest cattle herd (~244 million head of cattle). Brazil is the second largest producer (10.1 million tons) and the largest exporter (2.6 million tons) of beef [1]. Palatability is usually associated with the perception and acceptance of tenderness, flavor and juiciness of meat. Since the tenderness was improved over time, flavor started to be indicated as the first trait, followed by tenderness and juiciness. This may not be true of all production systems around the world [4]. The aging process is the main practice used by the industry and the retail sector to improve tenderness and is accomplished by storing the meat under refrigeration for different periods (days, weeks, or months)

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