Using metabolic and biochemical characteristics of postmortem muscle to investigate the interconnectedness of beef color, flavor, and tenderness

Abstract

Understanding relationships between beef palatability and quality components are crucial for continued production of high quality and consistent beef products. Myoglobin concentrations at 48 and 336 h resulted in moderate, negative correlations (P [less than] 0.05) to Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) values at 336 h postmortem. Metmyoglobin reducing activity at 336 h exhibited moderate, positive (P [less than] 0.05) relationships with slice shear force (SSF) and WBSF values at 48 h. L*, a*, and b* values at 48 h resulted in moderate, positive correlations (P [less than] 0.05) with WBSF values at 48 and 336 h. L* values at 336 h exhibited moderate, positive correlations with SSF values at 336 h and WBSF values at both 48 and 336 h. Values for b* at 336 h exhibited moderate, positive correlations with calpain-1 concentration at 0 and 336 h. Relationships between glycolytic and oxidative intermediates and color stability and tenderness attributes indicate that muscle metabolic state and biochemical attributes play a role in the animal to animal variation of quality attributes in beef longissimus lumborum at two aging periods. Traits associated with increased oxidative capacity such as oxygen consumption and NORA were negatively (P [less than] 0.05) related with attributes such as overall tenderness, juiciness, beef, brown and umami and positively (P [less than] 0.05) related with attribute such as musty, spoiled, bitter and heated oil. Data indicate that metabolic profile and aging time contribute to color stability, tenderness, flavor profile development and overall palatability.