Abstract
After slaughter, alternate beef carcass sides (left, right) were allocated to an intermittent spray-chilling cooling treatment using water (4 cycles per hour; 60 s/cycle) and conventional air chilling (1โ2ยฐC; air velocity 0ยท5 m/s), or conventional air chilling only. Experiments 1, 2, and 3 ( n = 19, 26 and 16 carcasses) involved spray-chilling for 4, 8, 12 h in shrouded sides, whereas experiment 4 ( n = 16 carcasses) involved 8 h of spray-chilling in unshrouded sides. At 24 h post-slaughter all sides were ribbed ( 12 13 th ribs ), and assessed for meat and fat colour. Half the treatment and control sides in each experiment were aged for 6 days, while the boneless ribs and inside rounds were removed from the remaining sides, vacuum packaged and held for 6 days. After 6 days of storage, retail packs of rib steaks and round roasts were prepared and assessed for colour and drip losses over a 4-day period. Spray-chilling significantly reduced carcass shrinkage at 24 h post slaughter in experiments 1โ4 by 0ยท48, 0ยท69, 0ยท89 and 1ยท48%, respectively. After 6 days of cooler storage, spray-chilling significantly reduced carcass shrinkage in experiments 3 and 4 only (0ยท47 and 0ยท94%). Weight and drip losses for vacuum packaged ribs and inside rounds were not influenced by spray-chilling over 6 days of storage. Spray-chilling had no influence on rate of pH decline, but reduced loin and round muscle temperatures by 1โ2ยฐC. Loin eye muscle colour and shear force were not affected by treatment, but in experiments 2, 3 and 4, fat colour was significantly lighter in spray-chilled compared to conventionally chilled sides. Colour changes and drip losses in retail packs over 4 days for rib steaks and round roasts were not related to spray-chilling. It was concluded that spray-chilling could provide a moderate reduction in carcass shrinkage during cooling without having a detrimental influence on muscle quality.
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