Meat Research

Relation among meat pH, color and tenderness- A review

PR Sristi — 2025-06-30

Meat quality is fundamentally influenced by postmortem biochemical changes, with pH decline playing a central role in determining both visual appeal and eating satisfaction. This review explores the interrelationships among meat pH, color, and tenderness, focusing on how variations in muscle acidification impact these key quality traits. A rapid pH decline at high carcass temperatures can result in pale, soft, exudative (PSE) meat, while an insufficient drop may lead to dark, firm, dry (DFD) meat—both of which are undesirable. Meat color is primarily governed by the chemical state of myoglobin, which is sensitive to pH-induced changes in muscle structure and oxygenation. Tenderness is likewise influenced by pH, as it affects the activity of endogenous proteolytic enzymes like calpains and the structural integrity of muscle fibers. Optimal tenderness and color are generally achieved when the ultimate pH ranges between 5.5 and 5.8. Extremely low or high pH values impair enzyme function and protein integrity, leading to poor textural and visual quality. This paper also highlights recent advancements in molecular biology and omics technologies that offer new insights into predicting and controlling meat quality through pH regulation. Understanding these complex relationships can help the meat industry refine processing techniques and improve consumer satisfaction.

Evaluating gamma irradiation and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) as preservation strategies for frozen beef

M Sadakuzzaman — 2025-06-30

This study examined the effects of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), a synthetic antioxidant, in conjunction with gamma irradiation on the biochemical characteristics and microbiological population of beef during frozen storage at various time intervals. BHA (0.01%) was applied to fresh boneless beef samples, and a ⁶⁰Co source was used to expose them to varying doses of gamma radiation (0, 3, 5, and 7 kGy). At intervals of 0, 15, 30, and 120 days, treated samples were kept at -20°C and examined for lipid oxidation markers such as free fatty acid (FFA), peroxide value (POV), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). Additionally, microbiological parameters such as total coliform count (TCC), total viable count (TVC), total yeast and mold count (TYMC), Salmonella spp., and Staphylococcus spp. were measured. FFA and TBARS were substantially higher (p<0.01) in all trial groups than in the control, while POV was lower in all but T1 treatment groups. These oxidative markers also dramatically increased with the storage period. Microbial studies found that although TVC, TYMC, and Salmonella spp. increased in irradiated groups, they remained within acceptable ranges. Staphylococcus spp. levels considerably decreased (p<0.01) with increasing irradiation doses. Interaction effects between irradiation dosage and storage period were substantial (p<0.01) for most biochemical and microbiological parameters. The research indicates that irradiation along with BHA can enhance beef's microbial safety and oxidative stability during frozen storage if proper dosage levels and storage conditions are carefully maintained.

Effect of repeated freezing and thawing on the quality of beef liver

MA Salam — 2025-06-30

The present study investigated the effect of repeated freeze-thaw cycle on the quality of beef liver. For this purpose, raw fresh beef liver was collected and divided into four treatments groups- Day 1 (T1 - fresh group, which was immediately analyzed) and other packed portions were stored under refrigeration at 4℃ for the whole day (12 hours) and at evening, stored under freezing at -20℃. Analyses of other samples were performed next 2nd (T2, freeze-thaw), 3rd (T3, freeze-thaw) and 4th (T4, freeze-thaw) day with three replicates. Liver sample was packaged in polythene bags and frozen at -20℃ for overnight (12 hours) followed by thawing in refrigerator at 4℃ for whole day (12 hours). The freeze-thawed procedure was repeated for subsequent for four days. The sensory tests (color, odor, juiciness, and tenderness), the proximate components dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE) and ash, physicochemical properties (pH and cooking loss), biochemical properties free fatty acid (FFA%), Peroxide value (POV meq/kg) and Thiobarbituric acid (TBARS mg-MDA/kg), and the microbial assessments, total viable count (TVC log cfu/g) were carried out for each treatment. The result showed that color, odor, juiciness, and tenderness were significantly (p<0.05) decreased with the increase of freeze-thawed cycle. Dry matter and ash content were significantly (p<0.05) increased, whereas crude protein and ether extract were decreased with the increase of freeze-thaw cycle. pH and water holding capacity were decreased and cooking loss was increased with the increase of freeze-thaw cycle (p<0.05). Thiobarbituric acid values were increased (p<0.05) with the increase of freeze-thaw cycle. Microbial assessments like TVC values were increased (p<0.05) with the increase of freeze-thawed cycle. With the increased freeze-thaw cycle decreasing the quality in all parameters studied were found. Thereby, avoiding of repeated freeze-thaw cycle is more acceptable. In conclusion, these findings have been suggested that shelf life of raw beef liver freeze at -20℃ and thaw at 4℃ for whole day up to maximum three days could be acceptable.

Effect of long-term frozen duration on the quality of cow liver

FA Sumy — 2025-06-30

The experiment was conducted to find out the effect of frozen duration (-18℃) on the quality of raw cow liver. For this purpose, raw liver samples were divided into three treatment groups. They were treated as 0 days, 180 days and 240 days as T1, T2 and T3 respectively. Sensory parameters (color, odor, juiciness and tenderness), proximate analysis (DM, CP, EE, and Ash), pH value, cooking loss, water holding capacity, TBARS value and microbiological examination were determined in order to evaluate the quality of raw liver at frozen temperature (-180C). Color, odor, juiciness and tenderness were decreased among different treatments significantly (p<0.05). Dry matter content of all the treatments increased significantly (p<0.05) while the CP and EE content decreased significantly (p<0.05) with the increase of storage days. As well as with the advancement of days, the ash content of all the treatments was increased significantly (p<0.05). The cooking loss (%) at different treatments were increased significantly (p<0.05). The water holding capacity and pH of all the treatments decreased significantly (p<0.05) with the increase of storage days. Significantly higher value (0.479 mg- MDA/kg) (p<0.05) of thiobarbituric acid value was observed at 240days. TVC (log CFU/g), TCC (log CFU/g) and TYMC (log CFU/g) were increased significantly (p<0.05) among different treatments comparison to 0 days. In conclusion, from this study on sensory evaluation, nutritional content, physicochemical properties, biochemical analysis and microbial assessments, it has been found that up to 240 days is acceptable in terms of biochemical and microbial studies although nutritional values were slightly decreased with the increase of storage time.