Vascular infusion with concurrent vascular rinsing on color, tenderness, and lipid oxidation of hog meat

Muscle fibre type composition influences the formation of odour-active volatiles in beef

Flavour is a key driver of consumer liking, and odour-active volatiles formed in cooking are important contributors to the flavour of cooked beef. We hypothesised that the formation of odour-active volatiles in beef are influenced by the contents of type I oxidative and type II glycolytic muscle fibres. To test our hypothesis, we combined ground masseter (type I) and cutaneous trunci (type II) into beef patties, cooked them, then their volatile profiles were analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Antioxidant capacity, pH, total heme protein, free iron, and fatty acid composition of these patties were also measured to investigate their relationship to volatile formation. Our study showed that beef composed of more type I fibres had higher 3-methylbutanal and 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, but less lipid-derived volatiles, and this could be partially attributed to the higher antioxidant capacity, pH, and total heme protein content in type I fibres. The results of our study indicate that fibre-type composition plays an important role in volatile formation and hence flavour of beef.

Vascular Rinsing and Chilling Carcasses Improves Meat Quality and Food Safety: A Review

Rinse & Chill^® technology (RCT) entails rinsing the vasculature using a chilled isotonic solution (3°C; 98.5% water and a blend of dextrose, maltose, and sodium phosphates) to rinse out the residual blood from the carcass. Infusion of pre-chilled solutions into intact animal carcasses immediately upon exsanguination is advantageous in terms of lowering the internal muscle temperature and accelerating chilling. This technology is primarily used for purposes of effective blood removal, favorable pH decline, and efficient carcass chilling, all of which improve meat quality and safety. Although RCT solution contains some substrates, the pre-rigor muscle is still physiologically active at the time of early postmortem and vascular rinsing. Consequently, these substrates are fully metabolized by the muscle, leaving no detectable residues in meat. The technology has been commercially approved and in continuous use since 2000 in the United States and since 1997 in Australia. As of January 2022, 23 plants have implemented RCT among the 5 countries (Australia, US, Canada, New Zealand, and Japan) that have evaluated and approved RCT. All plants are operating under sound Sanitation Standard Operation Procedures (SSOP) and a sound Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) program. No food safety issues have been reported associated with the use of this technology. RCT has been adapted by the meat industry to improve product safety and meat quality while improving economic performance. Therefore, this review summarizes highlights of how RCT technically works on a variety of animal types (beef, bison, pork, and lamb).

Physical and biochemical mechanisms associated with beef carcass vascular rinsing effects on meat quality: a review

Carcass vascular rinsing and chilling involves infusing a chilled isotonic solution (98.5% water and a blend of mono- and di-saccharides and phosphates) into the vasculature immediately upon exsanguination. Primary purposes of carcass vascular rinsing are to (1) effectively remove residual blood from the carcass; (2) lower internal muscle temperature rapidly; and (3) optimize pH decline by effective delivery of glycolytic substrates in the rinse solution. Previous studies have revealed that the beef carcass vascular rinsing early postmortem positively affects meat quality, product shelf-life, and food safety. Thus, the objective of this review is to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the physical and biochemical mechanisms associated with beef carcass vascular rinsing, focusing on the relationship between quality attributes (CIE L*, a*, b*; chemical states of myoglobin; oxygen consumption and sarcomere length) and muscle metabolic response to various substrate solutions (Rinse & Chill^®, fructose, sodium phosphate, and dipotassium phosphate) that stimulate or inhibit the rate of glycolysis early postmortem. In addition, this review discusses the absence of metabolite residues (phosphorus, sodium, and glucose) related to the application of the chilled isotonic solution. This review primarily focuses on beef and as such extending the understanding of the mechanisms and meat quality effects discussed to other species associated with vascular rinsing, in particular pork, may be limited.

Vascular rinsing and chilling effects on meat quality attributes from cull dairy cows associated with the two lowest-valued marketing classes

Commercially harvested cull dairy cow carcasses (n = 64) from the two lowest-valued marketing classes (MC: Lean, LE; Light, LI) were conventionally chilled (CN) or vascularly rinsed with a chilled isotonic substrate solution (Rinse & Chill®; RC). Longissimus lumborum (LL) and Triceps brachii (TB) muscles were processed (steaks, ground). Early postmortem (first 24 h), RC resulted in a lower pH at each time measured. RC steaks had longer sarcomeres and lower shear force than CN. RC produced greater redness associated with blooming and display times. RC LE beef resulted in greater oxymyoglobin during display times. RC ground TB had greater moisture fat-free than CN. RC Lean LL had less purge loss compared to CN LE. RC had greater total pigments than CN. RC ground TB had greater oxygen consumption and lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substances compared to CN. RC has the potential to improve tenderness and color as well as limit lipid oxidation with similar benefits across the two marketing classes.