Tenderness and sensory attributes of 11 muscles from carcasses within the Canadian cull cow grades

Abstract

The eating quality and shear force of meat from mature beef carcasses graded within the Canadian grading system were compared with youthful carcasses. Eleven muscles were obtained from mature-graded carcasses with >50% ossification (D1, D2, D3, and D4; n = 84) and youthful carcasses with <50% ossification [over 30 mo (OTM); n = 18, and under 30 mo (UTM) of age; n = 18, based on dentition]; muscles were aged 14 d prior to sensory and shear force analysis. Many muscles from mature-graded carcasses were juicier than UTM, however, most were less tender (P < 0.05). Psoas major was tender, particularly in D1 and OTM carcasses where tenderness measures were not significantly different from UTM (P > 0.05). Shear force values from the infraspinatus of D1 and OTM carcasses were not different from UTM. Flavour intensity was higher in several muscles from D1, D2, and D4 carcasses (P < 0.05), whereas flavour intensity was lower in several muscles from D3 (P < 0.05). Changes to eating quality attributes differed among mature grades; therefore, processors could potentially use the information presented here as a guide for utilizing cuts which retain high eating quality and separating those requiring tenderness intervention to reach consumer acceptability.

Post-Harvest Strategies to Improve Tenderness of Underutilized Mature Beef: A Review

“…In general, most literature supports that total collagen content would be mostly similar between animal maturities (Couvreur et al, 2019;Dos Santos Fontes et al, 2021;Lucero-Borja et al, 2014;Patten et al, 2008), although collagen solubility would decrease with increasing age (Alvarenga et al, 2021;Dos Santos Fontes et al, 2021;Gredell et al, 2018). A greater amount of perceptible connective tissue in cooked beef from mature carcasses has also been consistently reported (Jurie et al, 2007;Lucero-Borja et al, 2014;Roberts et al, 2017). Between beef and dairy type cull cows, total and insoluble collagen contents would be similar (Jurie et al, 2007).…”

“…This deficiency in tenderness of mature beef is often highly noticeable in more inherently tough cuts from the chuck and round primals. The study by Roberts et al (2017) reported poorer initial and overall tenderness scores, greater perceptible connective tissue, and higher shear force values in the semimembranosus, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, triceps brachii , and others from carcasses classified as mature by the Canadian grading system relative to those under 30 months of age. In general, the poor tenderness of mature beef relative to youthful carcasses is dependent on the individual cut, where the differences may be less apparent in certain inherently tender muscles such as the psoas major, infraspinatus, and longissimus lumborum ( Alvarenga et al, 2021 ; Roberts et al, 2017 ; Stelzleni et al, 2007 ).…”

“…The study by Roberts et al (2017) reported poorer initial and overall tenderness scores, greater perceptible connective tissue, and higher shear force values in the semimembranosus, biceps femoris, semitendinosus, triceps brachii , and others from carcasses classified as mature by the Canadian grading system relative to those under 30 months of age. In general, the poor tenderness of mature beef relative to youthful carcasses is dependent on the individual cut, where the differences may be less apparent in certain inherently tender muscles such as the psoas major, infraspinatus, and longissimus lumborum ( Alvarenga et al, 2021 ; Roberts et al, 2017 ; Stelzleni et al, 2007 ). Considering these unique challenges in regard to palatability of mature beef, especially tenderness, this review aims to discuss the existing and innovative post-harvest strategies to improve tenderization.…”