Rigor development and meat quality of Murrah buffalo from different production systems

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the rigor mortis development and its effects on striploins quality of Murrah buffalos from meat (males) and dairy (females) productions. The rigor was monitored during carcass chilling (up to 22 h postmortem) and the meat physicochemical traits was accessed after 72 h postmortem. Glycolytic rate, measured by decreasing pH and glycogen content, was higher (p < 0.05) in female than in male buffalo, leading to a different onset rigor time (5-6 h and 9-10 h, respectively). Male meat had (p < 0.05) lower fat (1.41 vs 3.58%) and insoluble collagen (1.18 vs 1.58 mg g-1) contents, but higher soluble collagen content (5.16 vs 20.38%), sarcomere length (1.65 vs 1.84 µm), myofibrillar fragmentation (334 vs 295) and shear force (39.38 vs 25.92 N) than females. These results suggest that dairy buffalo meat is more tender and can be used on the market as high-quality meat such as from buffalo raised to meat production.

A Comparative Study on Meat Quality Characteristics of Murrah Buffalo and Nellore Cattle Commercialized in Southeastern Brazil

“…Lower pH values (p < 0.05) were observed for buffalo meat than for beef, but they were within the range considered normal for both buffalo (5.4-5.6) and cattle (5.5-5.8) [9]. Although [4] reported that the glycogen levels (74 to 106 mmol glucose equivalent/kg) of Murrah buffaloes immediately after slaughter were within the typical muscle glycogen reserve of well-fed and resting bovines, the lower pH observed in buffalo meat than cattle in this experiment suggests a higher postmortem glycolytic rate or less chronic stress during slaughter. Lower pH values for buffalo meat than beef were also reported by other authors [7,9,19], although [6] observed a higher pH value for buffalo meat and [20] did not observe differences between species.…”

“…On the other hand, the buffalo herd is predominantly composed of animals of the Murrah, Mediterranean, Jafarabadi, and Carabao breeds. However, buffalo meat quality has not yet been well-studied due to the lack of carcass standardization [4].…”

“…Due to its double aptitude (meat and milk production), buffalo breeding occurs on small and medium farms with a non-homogeneous distribution, such as in the Southeastern region dominated by dairy farming [5]. The exploitation of dairy farming in conjunction with meat production is an important factor that aggravates the offer of low-quality meat, since in addition to young buffaloes, dairy females at the end of production, unproductive, or even with reproductive problems are also destined for slaughter to be sold as meat [4].…”

Influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the sensory perception and intention to purchase buffalo meat by consumers in Southeast Brazil

“…Brazil has the largest buffalo herd in the West, totaling 1.4 million animals (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística, 2019); however, the consumption of buffalo meat is still limited to some regions of the country. Buffalo meat is not well identified in part of Brazil due to its similarity with beef, as there are records that buffalo meat is marketed in two different ways: as buffalo meat, labeled as a high-quality (premium) meat; and sold as beef, when classified as having inferior quality (such as discarded females after the productive period) or when devalued in the producing region (Andrade et al, 2020;Oliveira et al, 2015).…”