Physicochemical and sensory characteristics of commercial, frozen, dry, and wet-aged Hanwoo sirloins

Abstract

Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical, sensory and taste characteristics of commercial, frozen, dry, and wet aged Hanwoo sirloin. Methods Grade 2 sirloin from 6 Hanwoo steers (about 30 months old) were obtained after 5 days postmortem . Samples were assigned to four groups which were commercial beef (CON, control group), frozen beef (Hanwoo frozen, HF; 40 days in −18°C freezer), wet-aged beef (Hanwoo wet-aging, HW; 21 days), and dry-aged beef (Hanwoo dry-aging, HD; 40 days). HW and HD were stored in a 80%±5% relative humidity cooler at 1°C. Results The HF group showed a significantly higher cooking loss and expressible drip with significantly higher pH compared to other groups. In addition, protein and fat contents in the HD group were higher than those in other groups (p<0.05). The shear forces in the HW and HD groups were significantly lower than those in the CON group. The HD group had significantly higher omega-3 and polyunsaturated fatty acids compared with other groups. Glutamic acid levels in the HD group were significantly higher compared with those in other groups. Electronic tongue analysis revealed that sourness of the HD group was lower than that of other groups, whereas the HD group showed significantly higher umami, richness, and saltiness compared to other groups (p<0.05). Sensory test results revealed that the HW group had significantly higher tenderness, while the HD group had significantly higher chewiness, juiciness, and overall acceptability scores. Conclusion These results suggest that both wet- and dry-aging treatments can effectively improve sensory characteristics, and dry-aging was much more useful to enhance umami tastes and meat quality of 2 grade Hanwoo sirloins.

Comparative effects of dry-aging and wet-aging on physicochemical properties and digestibility of Hanwoo beef

“…Aksu et al [14] reported that the increase in pH during aging process is because of the formation of nitrogen compounds from proteolysis. In agreement with the results reported by Kim et al [6] we observed that the pH of DAB was higher than that of WAB. The lightness, redness, and yellowness values of DAB were lower than those of WAB (p<0.05), owing to the high pH and WHC of DAB [6].…”

“…In agreement with the results reported by Kim et al [6] we observed that the pH of DAB was higher than that of WAB. The lightness, redness, and yellowness values of DAB were lower than those of WAB (p<0.05), owing to the high pH and WHC of DAB [6]. In terms of consumer perceptions, higher redness of meat contributes to the increase in meat colour acceptability.…”

“…It causes a significant level of shrinkage and generates a high amount of crust with excessively dried wastes that must be trimmed [1]. The dry-aged beef (DAB) had higher trim loss than wet-aged beef (WAB) [6]. Moreover, the storage of DAB is relatively expensive compared to WAB because of the shrinkage and wastage of beef directly related to the DAB procedure [7].…”

“…Smith et al [5] reported that DAB is a successful process and is used at special outlets to meet the needs of consumers who prefer this unique beef flavor. A few researchers have studied the variations in the characteristics of WAB and DAB with respect to their quality [1,[5][6][7][8]. Furthermore, studies were conducted on the quality variations between WA and DA processes [4,6].…”

“…A few researchers have studied the variations in the characteristics of WAB and DAB with respect to their quality [1,[5][6][7][8]. Furthermore, studies were conducted on the quality variations between WA and DA processes [4,6]. However, regarding digestibility, the comparison between WAB and DAB and correlation studies remain unexplored.…”