The effect of pH decline rate on the meat and eating quality of beef carcasses

Abstract

An experiment was undertaken to examine the effect of rapid pH fall at a high muscle temperature on meat and eating quality of two beef cuts (striploin and cube roll). From 115 beef steer carcasses of which the right side of each carcass was subjected to electrical stimulation, 25 carcasses which exhibited the largest difference in the rate of pH fall in the M. longissimus between sides were selected for subsequent sampling. All of the stimulated sides missed the 'ideal' pH/temperature window (defined as temperature at pH 6 in the M. longissimus 12°C) at the upper end, as did several of the non-stimulated sides. The mean temperature at pH 6 for stimulated sides from modelling was 40.9 versus..