Retail colour stability of lamb meat is influenced by breed type, muscle, packaging and iron concentration

• Published in: Meat science Vol. 129; pp. 28 - 37
• Main Authors: Warner, R.D., Kearney, G., Hopkins, D.L., Jacob, R.H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2017
• Subjects: Animals; Australia; Color; Colour stability; Food Packaging - methods; Genotype; Iron - analysis; Meat-Packing Industry - methods; Merino; Muscle, Skeletal - chemistry; Oxygen; Packaging; Quality; Red Meat - analysis; Redness; Sheep - classification; Redness; Quality; Packaging; Genotype; Merino; Colour stability; MAP
• ISSN: 0309-1740; 1873-4138
• DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2017.01.008

The longissmus lumborum (LL) and semimembranosus (SM) muscles from 391 lamb carcasses, derived from various breed types, were used to investigate the effect of animal/muscle factors, packaging type [over-wrap (OW) or high oxygen modified atmosphere packaging (MAPO2)] and duration of display on redness of meat during simulated retail display. Using statistical models the time required (in days) for redness to reach a threshold value of 3.5 (below this is unacceptable) was predicted. High levels of iron in the SM, but not LL, reduced the time for redness to reach 3.5 by 2–2.6days in MAPO2 and 0.5–0.8days in OW. The greater the proportion of Merino breed type, the shorter was the time for redness to reach the value of 3.5, an effect consistent across muscles and packaging types. In summary, breed type, packaging format, muscle and muscle iron levels had a significant impact on colour stability of sheep meat in oxygen-available packaging systems. •Sheep with higher proportion of Merino breed had lower colour stability.•Iron concentration was the most important covariate for colour stability.•High muscle iron concentration reduced retail shelf-life by ~2.3days in MAPO2 and by ~0.75days in over-wrap.•The effect of breed type was independent of packaging and iron concentration.