The influence of crossbreeding on collagen solubility and tenderness of Infraspinatus and Semimembranosus muscles of semi-intensively reared young bulls

Effect of Different Roughage Sources in Fermented Total Mixed Ration and Energy Intake on Meat Quality, Collagen Solubility, Troponin T Degradation, and Fatty Acids of Native Thai Cattle Longissimus Muscle

The effects of roughage sources in the fermented total mixed ration (FTMR) and the level of energy intake on meat quality, collagen solubility, and troponin T degradation in longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle of native Thai cattle (NTC) were investigated. Results showed that roughage source affected fatty acid composition in the LT muscle (p < 0.05), as NTC fed Pakchong 1-Napier-based FTMR had higher monounsaturated fatty acid content and ω 6:ω 3 ratio. The high-energy ad libitum group had lower drip loss, lower shear force, and higher percent collagen solubility (p < 0.05). However, energy intake had no effect on troponin T degradation and fatty acid composition (p > 0.05). Longer aging of 14 days showed lower shear force values, higher collagen solubility, and troponin T degradation rate but higher cooking loss (p < 0.01). In conclusion, the meat quality of NTC could be improved by ad libitum feeding with NG-FTMR, as their meat had higher MUFA content, lower drip loss, lower shear force, and higher collagen solubility. In addition, the tenderness of NTC meat could be further improved by longer aging of 14 days post-mortem.

Relationship between Beef Quality and Bull Breed

The beef industry in Poland heavily relies on the Polish Holstein-Friesian (PHF) breed, known for its primary use in dairy production, but which also contributes significantly to the beef supply. In contrast, the Limousine (LM), Hereford (HH), and Charolaise (CH) breeds have gained popularity due to their ideal specialized characteristics for beef production. As PHF continues to dominate the beef market, a thorough comparison of its beef quality and nutritional attributes with the three most popular beef breeds in Poland is essential. This study aims to address this knowledge gap by conducting a rigorous comparison. The experiment was carried out on the beef from 67 bulls kept in a free-stall system with standardized feeding. The highest total antioxidant status (TAS) was found in CH and was 147.5% higher than that in PHF. Also, compared with PHF, a large difference of 70% was observed in LM, while in HH it was only 6.25%. For degree of antioxidant potential (DAP), the highest concentration was found in LM, while CH had a slightly lower score than LM. PHF had the lowest scores for each of the analyzed parameters of protein fraction. For anserine, taurine, creatinine, and creatine content, the highest results were found for LM. For carnosine and coenzyme Q10, the highest values were found for CH. Overall, these results highlight the impact of maturity and breed on carcass composition and quality. Late-maturing breeds, such as LM and CH, tend to exhibit leaner carcasses with superior fatty acid profiles and antioxidant properties. This knowledge is valuable for producers, enabling them to make informed decisions regarding breed selection and production strategies to meet specific market demands for beef with the desired composition and quality.

Changes in Quality and Collagen Properties of Cattle Rumen Smooth Muscle Subjected to Repeated Freeze-Thaw Cycles

This study revealed changes in the quality, structural and functional collagen properties of cattle rumen smooth muscle (CSM) during F-T cycles. The results showed that thawing loss, pressing loss, β-galactosidase, β-glucuronidase activity, β-sheet content, emulsifying activity index (EAI), emulsion stability index (ESI), surface hydrophobicity, and turbidity of samples were significantly (p < 0.05) increased by 108.12%, 78.33%, 66.57%, 76.60%, 118.63%, 119.57%, 57.37%, 99.14%, and 82.35%, respectively, with increasing F-T cycles. Meanwhile, the shear force, pH, collagen content, α-helix content, thermal denaturation temperature (Tmax), and enthalpy value were significantly (p < 0.05) decreased by 30.88%, 3.19%, 33.23%, 35.92%, 10.34% and 46.51%, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and SDS-PAGE results indicated that F-T cycles induced an increase in disruption of CSM muscle microstructure and degradation of collagen. Thus, repeated F-T cycles promoted collagen degradation and structural disorder in CSM, while reducing the quality of CSM, but improving the functional collagen properties of CSM. These findings provide new data support for the development, processing, and quality control of CSM.

Effects of Dietary Energy Density in a Fermented Total Mixed Ration Formulated with Different Ratios of Rice Straw and Cassava Pulp on 2- or 14-Day-Aged Meat Quality, Collagen, Fatty Acids, and Ribonucleotides of Native Thai Cattle Longissimus Muscle

This study investigated the effects of dietary energy density in rice straw and cassava pulp fermented total mixed ration on pH, cooking loss, Warner−Bratzler shear force (WBSF), and collagen content of 2- or 14-d-aged native Thai cattle (NTC) Longissimus thoracic (LT) muscles and fatty acids and ribonucleotides of 2-d-aged LT. Eighteen yearling NTC (Bos indicus) were randomly divided into three dietary treatments (T1 = 8.9, T2 = 9.7, and T3 = 10.5 MJ ME/kg), with six bulls per treatment. The results showed that T1 had the highest WBSF (p < 0.05). However, T2 had similar WBSF to T3 (p > 0.05). With aging, cooking loss increased (p < 0.01), while WBSF decreased (p < 0.01). Insoluble and total collagen decreased with aging (p < 0.05). Dietary energy density had no effect (p > 0.05) on collagen content, ribonucleotides and most fatty acids. However, T1 had more (p < 0.05) decanoic (C10:0), vaccenic (C18:1n9t), trans-linolelaidic (C18:2n6t), eicosatrienoic (C20:3n6), and docosadienoic (C22:2) acids than T2 and T3. In terms of lowest feed cost with comparable tenderness to T2 and highest energy density, T3 may be well suited for feeding NTC. Aging for 14 days improves LT tenderness, but its cooking loss may affect yield and juiciness.

Effect of heat treatments on the physicochemical and sensory properties of the longissimus thoracis muscle in unweaned Limousin calves

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of methods of heat treatment on selected quality parameters of longissimus thoracis muscle of Limousin calves, subjected to grilling, steaming, and sous vide cooking. The type of heat treatment did not significantly affect shear force or water activity. Cooking loss in the grilled and steamed meat was significantly higher than in the sous vide. While the content of vitamin E was significantly lower in the cooked meat, it was retained to the greatest degree in the grilled meat and least in the steamed meat. The TBARS index significantly increased during all cooking methods with the highest level in steamed meat. The sensory analysis revealed a preference for the sous vide and grilled meat, while the steamed meat received the lowest scores. Although veal is commonly assumed to be highly nutritious and palatable, its quality can be significantly influenced by the type of heat treatment.

Content and Solubility of Collagen and Their Relation to Proximate Composition and Shear Force of Meat from Different Anatomical Location in Carcass of European Beaver (Castor fiber)

The content and solubility of collagen in the muscle tissue and cooked meat from three anatomical locations (loin, hind leg and shoulder) in carcasses of adult male European beavers and relationships of collagen fractions with proximate composition and shear force were studied. Shoulder muscle tissue contained the highest amount of intramuscular fat, collagen/protein ratio, total and insoluble collagen, and the lowest percentage of soluble collagen. The cooked meat from hind leg contained the lowest amount of total, soluble and insoluble collagen. The percentage of collagen fractions in cooked meat was comparable in all cuts (p > 0.05). The toughest meat was from the shoulder, followed by the hind leg, and the tenderest meat was from the loin (p < 0.01). Shear force of cooked meat was correlated positively with the amount of total collagen, insoluble collagen and its percentage in muscle tissue (0.597, 0.594 and 0.499, p < 0.01), as well as negatively with percentage of soluble collagen (−0.594, p < 0.001). No correlations between the shear force and the content of total collagen and its fractions in cooked meat were found. In conclusion, our results indicate that the amount of total collagen and its fractions in raw muscle tissue of beaver is a better tenderness predictor for cooked meat than their values in heat-treated meat.

Meta-analysis of the relationship between collagen characteristics and meat tenderness

Meta-analysis methods were used to investigate the effects of collagen content, solubility and pyridinoline cross-link content on Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and sensory tenderness in major meat species. Data was collected from the literature on pork, beef and lamb and analyzed independently for each species. The beef data was categorized into subgroups according to muscle (loin and other muscle) and age (young, <18 months and old, ≥18 months). The results showed that in beef, collagen content and pyridinoline cross-link content were positively correlated with WBSF and negatively with sensory tenderness, while collagen solubility was negatively correlated with WBSF. The correlation coefficients were greater in other beef muscles than loin. Significant correlations between collagen content and tenderness attributes were observed in old beef animals. However, non-significant relationships and large variations were found in pork and lamb. More studies with various muscles and ages are required for an in-depth understanding of the relationship between collagen characteristics and meat tenderness.

Biochemical and textural changes in beef from bulls and steers of different crossbreeds shortly after slaughter and during ageing

The aim of this study was to investigate the course of glycogenolysis, ATP breakdown and fragmentation of myofibrillar proteins in the semitendinosus muscle of a progeny of Limousin×Holstein-Friesian (LM_x) and Charolaise×Holstein-Friesian (CH_x) (bulls and steers) and to describe the changes in the above parameters over time and its relationship with beef texture. The hypothesis that beef from bulls and steers of different crossbreeds required the same ageing time to achieve satisfactory tenderness was also tested. Cattle crossbreeding did not affect the amount of muscle glycogen, and castration did not differentiate it until 3 h post-mortem. The interaction between crossbreeding and castration was found, and the highest shear force values were observed in CH_x bulls, whereas the lowest was in CH_x steers. Beef obtained from CH_x was found to be more predestined to short ageing, and LM_x required longer ageing to achieve good tenderness. The R-values more strongly influenced subsequent beef texture than pH values.

Influence of collagen changes on the tenderness of yak rumen smooth muscle during storage

The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of collagen changes on the tenderness of yak rumen smooth muscle during storage. Yak rumen smooth muscle was stored at 3 ± 1 °C for 7 d and the Warner–Bratzler shear force (WBSF); total, soluble, and insoluble collagen content (TCC, SCC); collagen solubility (CS); and histological structure were monitored. Label-free mass spectrometry was used to validate the changes in collagen. Collagen changes significantly influenced yak rumen smooth muscle tenderness. A significant positive relationship was found between WBSF and TCC, SCC, as well as CS. The label-free mass spectrometry results validated that the collagen of smooth muscle was degraded during storage. Histological analysis revealed that yak rumen smooth muscle structure was destroyed during storage. Smooth muscle underwent a similar change in tenderness as skeletal muscle, and the weakening of connective tissue was the main reason for smooth muscle tenderness development.

An analysis of the influence of various tenderising treatments on the tenderness of meat from Polish Holstein-Friesian bulls and the course of changes in collagen

The aim of the study was to analyse the influence of tenderising treatments applied to the carcasses of Polish Holstein-Friesian (PHF) bulls of Black-and-White variety on the process of meat tenderisation and to assess the role of collagen in this process. The research was carried out on m. longissimus thoracis et lumborum. The carcasses were subjected to high-voltage electrical stimulation (ES), conditioning (CD), and both treatments together (ES + CD). The carcasses which were only refrigerated were the control group. The content of collagen in meat, its solubility, the share of the polypeptide subunits α1(I)CB7 and α1(I)CB8 of type I collagen and α1(III)CB5 of type III collagen were also analysed. ES with and without CD significantly accelerated the meat tenderisation and increased collagen solubility. CD always caused the degradation of type I collagen subunits, especially the α1(I)CB7 subunit. However, CD had significantly lesser influence on the rate of meat tenderisation than ES.

Evaluation of palatability and muscle composition of novel value-added beef cuts

The aim of this study was to evaluate the muscle profile of novel added-value beef cuts including the caudal tip of the M. infraspinatus (Bonanza Cut; TIP) and M. subscapularis (SUB) and two traditional sirloin steak cuts, M. gluteus medius (top sirloin; GLM) and M. rectus femoris (sirloin tip; REC). Samples were subjected to Warner-Braztler Shear Force (WBSF), sensory, cooking loss, and proximate analysis. The muscle TIP had superior values of subjective tenderness, juiciness, and slight off-flavor intensity when compared to all other muscles. The TIP and SUB were similar in WBSF. Cooking loss and moisture values of raw samples were lowest for TIP. Results suggest that TIP can provide enhanced eating experience for consumers and improved marketability for the meat industry.

The influence of diet on collagen content and quality attributes of infraspinatus muscle from Holstein-Friesian young bulls

The aim of the study was to determine effects of feeding intensity on collagen content and eating quality of infraspinatus (INF) muscle. Twenty Polish Holstein-Friesian bulls (11-month-old) were fed either intensively (I, n=10, with triticale meal addition to total mixed ration) or semi-intensively (SI, n=10, without triticale meal) before slaughter at 19months. The animals from I group showed higher body weight at the end of fattening, average daily gain and dressing percentage than SI group. The INF muscle from I treatment had higher fat content and the proportion of water-soluble collagen, whereas lower insoluble collagen content compared with SI treatment. There were no differences in shear force values, cooking loss and eating quality between the treatments. In conclusion, feeding Holstein-Friesian bulls with increased energy value fodder beneficially affected its slaughter value and collagen profile in infraspinatus muscle.