Physical changes during post-mortem ageing of high-value impala (Aepyceros melampus) steaks
Date
2020-06-29
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Abstract
Antelope meat production is rapidly growing, not only due to their adaptation to marginal land usage, but also because of its favorable nutritional properties and free-range production. However, limited information is available on the meat quality and processing potential of game meat for commercial consumption. The objective of this study was to determine the ageing period to achieve maximum tenderness of longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) muscles of impala. The LTL muscles of 11 male and 11 female impala were harvested, and divided into eight portions. Each portion was randomly allocated to 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, or 14 days of wet-ageing (4 °C) in vacuum packaging. The meat pH, color, weep loss, cooking loss, and Warner–Bratzler shear force were measured throughout ageing. Initially the ageing profile differed depending on the sex of the animal from which the muscle was harvested; however, after 8 days of ageing, maximum tenderness was reached (13.5 ± 0.91 N) and no further sex differences were seen. Ageing improved the surface color of all meat until day 8, after which discoloration occurred. Therefore, it is recommended that impala LTL steaks should be wet-aged at 4 °C for eight days to achieve maximum tenderness and minimize sex variability.
Description
CITATION: Needham, T., Engels, R. A. & Hoffman, L. C. 2020. Physical changes during post-mortem ageing of high-value impala (Aepyceros melampus) steaks. Applied Sciences, 10(13):4485, doi:10.3390/app10134485.
The original publication is available at https://www.mdpi.com
The original publication is available at https://www.mdpi.com
Keywords
Impala (Aepyceros melampus), Game meat -- Quality, Longissimus thoracis et lumborum, Meat processing -- Safety measures, Game meat -- Nutritional aspects
Citation
Needham, T., Engels, R. A. & Hoffman, L. C. 2020. Physical changes during post-mortem ageing of high-value impala (Aepyceros melampus) steaks. Applied Sciences, 10(13):4485, doi:10.3390/app10134485.