Characteristics of the appearance of meat III. Studies on the colour of meat from young bulls

Abstract

Young bulls, reared and slaughtered commercially, were assessed for fat cover, total pigment content of the Longissirnus dorsi, ultimate pH, muscle colour and subsequent colour stability after packaging. Lack of fat gave the carcasses an unfinished appearance. About one-third of the meat was dark, principally because of high ultimate pH associated with animal behaviour and preslaughter handling. In non-dark cutting meat, instrumentally measured lightness was influenced by pigment concentration and brightness was influenced by both pigment concentration and pH. Subjective assessment of lightness described meat with a pH of > 5.9 as moderately to very dark. High pH meat remained dark when packaged for 1 week and initially was less saturated and more purple in hue.

Chemical composition, quality and histochemical characteristics of individual dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius) muscles

“…Similarly, no difference between the LT and BF muscles in redness was reported by Suliman et al (2011). Myoglobin concentration, pH and muscle fiber type influence the development of muscle color (Faustman & Cassens, 1990;MacDougall & Rhodes, 1972). The isoelectric point of proteins of 5.5 results in an open structured muscle and a greater diffusion of light between the myofibrils of the muscle, which make the surface of the meat darker (Seideman & Crouse, 1986).…”

Effect of radio frequency (RF) heating on the texture, colour and sensory properties of a comminuted pork meat product

“…A chroma meter (Model CR-300 Minolta, Minolta (UK) Limited, 1-3 Tanners Drive, Blakelands North, Milton Keynes, MK14 5BU, England) was used to determine Hunter L* (lightness), a* (redness/greenness) and b* (yellowness/blueness) from which the hue angle (H) and the saturation (S) were calculated using the equations give by MacDougall and Rhodes (1972). The chroma meter was calibrated for internal light (D65) before carrying out colour measurements.…”

Genetic analyses of carcass composition, as assessed by X-ray computer tomography, and meat quality traits in Scottish Blackface sheep

“…Colour was measured with reference to reflectance (L*: 0 ¼ black, 100 ¼ white) and two colour co-ordinates, a* and b*, with the extreme colours of a* equal to red (positive) and green (negative) and b* equal to yellow (positive) and blue (negative). The hue angle, tan 21 (b*/ a*), describes the colour in two dimensional space and saturation (chroma), ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi ffi a *2 þ b *2 p , describes the intensity of the colour (MacDougall and Rhodes, 1972). Muscle toughness was measured after 10 days conditioning of loin joints (m. thoracis et lumborum (LTL)) at 18C and then frozen and stored at 2 208C until analysis.…”