Utilization of Electrical Stimulation to Improve Meat Quality: A Review

Abstract

The use of electrical stimulation became a very active area of research i n the mid 1970's because of its ability to tenderize meat and increase quality-indicating characteristics of the carcass. Various mechanisms have been investigated as to how electrical stimulation tenderizes meat and changes some of its properties, primarily color. This paper reviews the proposed mechanisms of tenderization and variables associated with its application.

The effect of storage temperature on drip loss from fresh beef

“…The use of electrical current to facilitate skinning resulted in an accelerated glycolysis. The pH values observed at 3 h post mortem, were similar to those often found in electrically stimulated carcasses (for review see Seideman and Cross 1982). SM muscles had a signiÐcantly higher rate of pH decline as compared to the LT muscles.…”

Effect of South African beef production systems on post-mortem muscle energy status and meat quality

“…stimulation and therefore it is expected that glycogen levels would be lower compared to levels reported in literature of non-stimulated carcasses. Electrical stimulation accelerate glycogen metabolism (Carse, 1973;Seideman & Cross, 1982), therefore the rule cannot be applied in this study. Nevertheless the ABF and AP systems had the highest glycogen levels at 1 h post-mortem (~51 µmol/g, P <0.05) with AF, ABP and BP systems showing lower muscle glycogen concentration at this point (~44 µmol/g).…”

“…Much more basic breed differences were attributed to differences in carcass weight and/or fatness (Koch, Dikeman & Crouse, 1982), which could determine the susceptibility to cold shortening. Negative tenderness effects were substantially reduced when electrical stimulation was applied (Seideman & Cross, 1982;Wheeler et al, 1990). Voisinet,Grandin,O'Connor,Tatuma 4 Most studies on meat quality performed in South Africa, like studies elsewhere, the effects of one or two production factors or a single dimension within a production factor are investigated (Swanepoel, Casey, De Bruyn, &Naude, 1990, andStrydom, Frylinck, Van der Westhuizen, &Burrow, 2008, breed within grain feeding; Du Plessis & Hoffman, 2007, breed and age on pasture diet, Muchenje, Dzama, Chimonyo, Strydom, & Raats, 2008, breed on pasture diet).…”