Effects of rigor attainment temperature on meat blooming and colour on display

Young, O.A.; Priolo, A.; Simmons, N.J.; West, J.

Effects of rigor attainment temperature on meat blooming and colour on display

1999

Young, O.A. | Priolo, A. | Simmons, N.J. | West, J.

This paper describes the colour properties of seven hot-boned, unstimulated beef striploins during rigor attainment at 9, 14 and 24 degrees C, during blooming at 4 degrees C, and after storage at -1 degrees C for 0, 2 and 8 weeks. Immediately after rigor attainment (0 weeks of storage) full blooming, as judged by L* and chroma, took at least 12 h. After 2 and 8 weeks storage, blooming was complete within about 4 h. The exponential equations describing blooming were different for 0 weeks compared with 2 and 8 weeks. This difference can be explained in terms of oxygen consumption by meat freshly in rigor. At 0 weeks, meat that entered rigor at 24 degrees C had the best bloomed colour, whereas at 2 and 8 weeks the 9 degrees C treatment had the best and the 24 degrees C the worst. The data set, which spanned a range of ultimate pH values and three rigor attainment temperatures, was used to estimate the value of early colour measurements (first 24 h post-rigor) in predicting colour during display several weeks later. As judged by correlation coefficients, early measurements of hue were the only ones useful. L* and chroma were poor predictors. This result, together with the knowledge that blooming is slow in the first 24 h post-rigor, casts doubt on the value of subjective or objective colour assessments made in chillers. Temperature of rigor attainment between 9 and 24 degrees C did not affect the time of browning onset, nor the rate of browning. It was confirmed that meat with lower pH had higher chroma before and after blooming.

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