Extending the Shelf Life of Beef Steaks Using Acerola Cherry Powder and Rosemary Extract

Abstract

Improvements in retail shelf-life of exported beef will help with merchandising and increase competitiveness in the worldwide market for US beef products. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of topically applying acerola cherry powder or rosemary extract from various suppliers on beef bone-in short rib steak and chuck roll steak shelf-life. USDA Choice beef bone-in short ribs (IMPS 123A) and chuck rolls (IMPS 116A) were aged (0°C) for 28 d post-fabrication. Following aging, 1.02 cm-thick steaks were cut (N = 126) and systematically assigned to a treatment based on steak location within the subprimal. Treatments included: untreated control (C), topically sprayed (2ml) with an acerola cherry powder solution (0.05%) from one of three suppliers (C1, C2, C3), or topically sprayed (2ml) with a rosemary extract solution (0.10%) from one of three suppliers (R1, R2, R3). Half of the steaks were assigned to d 0 lipid oxidation, metmyoglobin reducing activity (MRA), and oxygen consumption; the remaining steaks were assigned to color evaluation over 4 days of retail display followed by d 4 lipid oxidation and MRA. Short rib steaks treated with antioxidants had a brighter oxygenated lean color than control steaks (P < 0.001). There was an interaction (P = 0.028) between time of retail display and MRA. Short rib steaks treated with C3 and R2 did not change in MRA between d 0 and 4 (P = 0.620, P = 0.428, respectively). Chuck roll steaks treated with C1, C2, C3, R2, and R3, all had a higher, or more desirable, MRA than the control steaks on d 0 (P < 0.001). Applying topical antioxidants improves the shelf-life stability of steaks from beef bone-in short ribs and chuck rolls aged for an extended period.

Acerola Cherry and Rosemary Extracts Improve Color and Delay Lipid Oxidation in Previously Frozen Beef

“…Interestingly, the control bone marrow had a sharp decline in redness (a*) from day 0 to day 1, whereas all antioxidant-treated bone marrow samples had a delayed or more gradual decline in redness, and all antioxidant-treated bone marrow samples were redder than the control on day 1. Previous research had shown that antioxidants were effective in improving the bone marrow color by delaying hemoglobin oxidation and myoglobin oxidation similarly [2,14,15,28,29]. Bone marrow samples treated with R, M3, and M4 were also, on average, redder than the control on days 2 and 3.…”

“…Unfortunately, limited research has been conducted using antioxidants on beef following frozen storage and thawing. As previously stated, Van Buren et al [14,15] found that acerola cherry powder and rosemary extract improve the shelf life of fresh beef. The present study aims to evaluate the effects of these antioxidants on previously frozen beef.…”

“…Additionally, differences between the antioxidant treatments were not observed for mean values of L*, a*, or b* (p = 0.105, p = 0.293, and p = 0.824, respectively; Table 2). Previous research also did not show differences in the objective color measurements of short rib steaks between antioxidant treatments [14]. Objective measurements were taken on the SV for both chuck roll and short rib steaks, which has previously been found to have low color stability [27].…”

“…Oxygen consumption (OC) was measured on the SV after the antioxidant treatment on day 0 following the protocols outlined in the Meat Color Measurement Guidelines [14]. Color measurements were taken similar to the MRA protocol.…”

“…Researchers have seen benefits from including antioxidants in ground products [9][10][11][12] or on the surface of whole muscle steaks to extend their shelf life [13]. Van Buren et al [14,15] recently found that in fresh, never-frozen beef, the topical application of acerola cherry powder and rosemary extract improved the marrow color in bone-in short ribs and surface discoloration in chuck rolls after 28 d of wet aging.…”