No abstract

This study evaluated the effect of vacuum and modified atmosphere (40% CO2+60% N2, MA) packaging on the chemical composition, physicochemical properties and sensory attributes of chill-stored meat from 10 fallow deer (Dama dama) bucks at 17 to 18 months of age. The animals were hunter-harvested in the forests of north-eastern Poland. During carcass dressing (48 to 54 h post mortem), both musculus longissimus muscles were cut out. Each muscle was divided into seven sections which were allocated to three groups: 0, A, and B. Samples 0 were immediately subjected to laboratory analyses. Samples A were vacuum-packaged, and samples B were packaged in MA. Packaged samples were stored for 7, 14, and 21 days at 2°C. The results of the present study showed that the evaluated packaging systems had no significant effect on the quality of fallow deer meat during chilled storage. However, vacuum-packaged meat samples were characterised by greater drip loss. Vacuum and MA packaging contributed to preserving the desired physicochemical properties and sensory attributes of meat during 21 days of storage. Regardless of the packaging method used, undesirable changes in the colour, water-holding capacity and juiciness of meat, accompanied by tenderness improvement, were observed during chilled storage.

The quality of the longissimus lumborum muscle (Holstein-Friesian Black-and-White- HF BW x Belgian Blue - BB bulls) was determined after 14 days of storage under different modified atmospheres (MA) (vacuum; 40% CO2 + 60% N2; 30% CO2 + 70% Ar) and 6 months of frozen storage following 14 days of MA storage. Weight loss and cooking loss were smaller, and drip loss was greater after frozen storage compared with refrigerated storage. The pH of stored meat was typical of high-quality beef. TBARS values increased after refrigerated storage and after frozen storage. The changes in color parameters point to metmyoglobin formation in frozen meat. Both refrigerator and freezer storage had beneficial influence on tenderness, and shear force values decreased in frozen beef. The composition of MA during refrigerated storage had no effect on the analyzed parameters of beef. Frozen meat that was stored in a MA containing Ar prior to freezing was characterized by the lowest weight loss, and vacuum-packaged meat - by the lowest TBARS values.