Rigor temperature and meat quality characteristics of lamb longissimus muscle.

Abstract

The present experiment was conducted to determine the effect of muscle temperature during the prerigor and early postrigor period on meat tenderness, postmortem proteolysis, calpain system activity, water-holding capacity, and color. Lamb longissimus muscle (n = 14) from the right and left carcass sides was excised immediately after dressing, divided into an anterior and posterior sample, vacuum-packaged, and stored overnight at 5 to 35 degrees C. Further storage, up to 14 d postmortem, was at 2 degrees C. Tenderness at 1 d postmortem, tenderization during further storage, and postmortem proteolysis were negatively affected by overnight incubation above 25 degrees C. This effect could be explained by an effect of temperature on muscle contraction and activity of the calpain system. Muscle contraction was at a minimum after incubation at 15 degrees C. Water-holding capacity was negatively affected by incubation above 25 degrees C. Color scores improved with increasing incubation temperature at 1 d postmortem. However, after 14 d of postmortem storage, no differences in color scores were observed. Based on the present results and results of other groups, a temperature around 15 degrees C at the onset of rigor seems optimal to maximize tenderness without having detrimental effects on water-holding capacity or color.

Pre-rigor carcass stretching counteracts the negative effects of high rigor temperature on tenderness and water-holding capacity – using lamb muscles as a model

“…It is also important to note that the improvement in tenderness during aging was not negatively affected when the stretched muscles were kept at 37 C before rigor. Numerous studies have reported limited aging potential of muscles that were exposed to high pre-rigor temperature (Lee and Ashmore 1985;Hertzman et al 1993;Dransfield 1994;Devine et al 1999Devine et al , 2002Geesink et al 2000;Hwang and Thompson 2001;Thomson et al 2008;Kim et al 2010Kim et al , 2012Rosenvold and Wiklund 2011). Further, some studies have reported a transient effect of stretching muscles -improved tenderness during the early post-mortem period, but no further benefit with aging (Taylor et al 2012;Toohey et al 2012).…”

“…The influence of high pre-rigor temperature on meat quality attributes such as tenderness, water-holding capacity and colour has been studied in excised muscle, and almost exclusively on the longissimus muscle. It has been generally agreed that keeping excised pre-rigor longissimus muscles at a high temperature (normally !35 C) results in lower tenderness (often called heat-induced toughening), more fluid loss from meat and paler colour (Jaime et al 1992;Hertzman et al 1993;Devine et al 1999Devine et al , 2002Geesink et al 2000;Rosenvold et al 2008). Warner et al (2014b) and others have shown the detrimental effects of high rigor temperature on the tenderness, water-holding capacity and colour of beef longissimus and GM muscles from a carcass (rather than excised).…”

“…The effects of high temperature and low pH conditions on meat quality in excised longissimus muscle have been investigated in lamb in several studies. Geesink et al (2000) reported on meat quality characteristics of excised lamb longissimus muscle, which entered rigor at different temperatures (5-35 C) and were then aged for a further 2 weeks at 2 C. Muscle contraction was most severe when muscles entered rigor at 35 C while tenderness and water-holding capacity were negatively affected when muscles entered rigor at temperatures of 25 C or higher. Devine et al (2002) reported similar negative effects on tenderness after aging and on colour characteristics of lamb longissimus muscles that entered rigor mortis at 35 C compared with 18 C. Although most papers refer to the 'temperature at rigor' it is actually temperature before rigor, and duration at that temperature, which is probably most important, as discussed by Offer (1991).…”

Calpain-1 activity in bovine muscle is primarily influenced by temperature, not pH decline1

“…However, it has been shown that both pH and temperature can have dramatic effects on μ-calpain autolysis and activity (Koohmaraie, 1992;Camou et al, 2007), while Ca 2+ concentrations (needed for calpain activation) within postmortem muscle are greater at elevated temperatures (Goll et al, 2003). Additionally, calpastatin activity has been shown to decrease at elevated temperatures (Geesink et al, 2000;Pomponio and Ertbjerg, 2012), while its inhibition of μ-calpain appears to not be influenced by pH (Geesink and Koohmaraie, 1999;Maddock et al, 2005). Therefore, alterations in muscle temperature and resulting pH in this study may have the potential to influence μ-calpain activity and meat aging; however, limited research has been performed evaluating μ-calpain activity and subsequent postmortem proteolysis under differing early postmortem conditions.…”

Growth and carcass characteristics of male dairy calves on a yeast culture-supplemented diet

“…The pH of the homogenate was measured at around 20 °C using the same pH meter as used for measuring the pH of the carcasses. The surface colour of the muscles was recorded in samples (Geesink et al, 2000) using a ColorTec-PCM/PSM Color Meter with a 12 mm aperture (Model U59730-30, Cole-Parmer International, USA). Colour was expressed in terms of CIE values for lightness (L*), redness (a*), and yellowness (b*).…”