Technical note: The effect of carcass deboning technique on the meat quality of cattle

J Anim Sci. 2016 Oct;94(10):4427-4433. doi: 10.2527/jas.2016-0550.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the suspended carcass deboning technique on the meat attributes of electrically stimulated cattle ( = 10). A carcass deboning technique that removes the main bones without breakdown of the entire carcass was applied to suspended sides soon after slaughter. After 3 d of aging at 4°C, the shear force of the rectus femoris, longissimus lumborum, and supraspinatus muscles of the suspended carcass deboning technique was reduced by 27%, 29%, and 23% ( < 0.05), respectively. The carcass deboning technique increased the sarcomere length by 14%, 10%, and 16% ( < 0.05), and the myofibril fragmentation index was increased by 10%, 5%, and 13% ( < 0.05), respectively, for the same 3 muscles. There was no difference in the pH, color, or cooking loss between the treatment and the control ( > 0.05). The carcass deboning technique could be a viable approach to improve beef tenderness with a relatively short aging duration.

MeSH terms

  • Aging
  • Animals
  • Bone and Bones
  • Cattle / physiology*
  • Color
  • Cooking
  • Food Handling / methods*
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Myofibrils / ultrastructure
  • Red Meat / standards*
  • Sarcomeres / ultrastructure
  • Time Factors