Dentition-based age influences physicochemical, nutritional and sensory quality of cooked Sahiwal crossbred cattle hide

Abstract

Cattle hide is a collagen-rich slaughter co-product with potential for food use, yet the effect of animal maturity on its quality is poorly characterized. This study evaluated cooked neck-hide from male Sahiwal crossbred cattle classified by dentition as T1 (2-tooth; one pair of permanent incisors; n=12) or T2 (4-tooth; two pairs; n=12). Physicochemical properties, proximate composition, calculated energy value, and trained-panel sensory attributes were determined using standardized laboratory procedures. Raw sample-level data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA, and selected instrumental-sensory relationships were examined using Pearson correlation. Compared with T1, T2 hide had higher pH (7.646 vs 6.768), drip loss (12.163 vs 8.354%), cooking loss (15.992 vs 4.589%), and shear force (258.481 vs 154.627 N; P<0.001), while CIE a* and b* did not differ. T1 contained more crude protein (33.465 vs 29.528%) and dry matter (36.193 vs 34.184%), whereas T2 contained more moisture, ether extract, ash, and carbohydrate. All trained-panel scores favored T1, including texture (4.275 vs 2.542), juiciness (4.467 vs 2.900), and overall acceptability (4.042 vs 2.683; P<0.001). Shear force was strongly inversely related to texture within both T1 (r=-0.921) and T2 (r=-0.947), and cooking loss was inversely related to juiciness (r=-0.939 and -0.988, respectively). These findings demonstrate that dentition-based maturity is strongly associated with the processing and eating quality of cooked cattle hide. Younger hide showed the more favorable profile for direct culinary use, although collagen chemistry, digestibility, microbiological safety, and broader consumer acceptance require further investigation before nutritional or commercial recommendations are made.