Effects of gender and slaughter age on physicochemical and quality traits of Korean Hanwoo striploin

Hanwoo beef is in high demand because of its unique flavor, freshness, and high-fat content. However, the longer rearing period required to enhance marbling in Hanwoo cattle has adverse environmental consequences, such as greenhouse gas emissions and overall rearing costs. To address consumer preferences for leaner and healthier meat, the Korean meat industry has recently introduced Hanwoo heifer meat as an alternative source, but its quality traits are still unclear. Nevertheless, there is a limited body of research exploring the impact of Hanwoo gender (steer, heifer, and cow) and their corresponding slaughter ages on meat quality traits. This study looked into how gender affected the physicochemical and qualitative features of Hanwoo striploin at their respective slaughter ages. Results revealed that cow striploin has higher levels of moisture (66.81%) and protein (20.76%), whereas it contains lower levels of fat (10.66%) and cholesterol (34.66 mg/100 g). Regarding the physicochemical properties, cow striploin exhibited significantly lower shear force, color indexes, and soluble collagen (p < 0.05). However, chondroitin (1.19%) and muscle fiber area (1,545.23 μm2) were significantly higher in steer striploin than in heifer and cow (p < 0.05). Cow striploin exhibited significantly higher levels of oleic acid, unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs), and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) while having lower levels of eicosadienoic acid and atherogenic index compared to the other two groups. Cows and heifers had higher concentrations of amino acid metabolites than striploin from steers. Furthermore, bioactive metabolites such as carnitine and carnosine content were found higher in cow and heifer respectively. Overall, Hanwoo cattle gender influences the qualitative attributes of striploin; nevertheless, compared to steer and heifer striploin, cow striploin is a relatively good source of protein, fatty acid content, and metabolites conducive to a healthy diet.