Changes in texture, cooking losses, and myofibrillar structure of bovine M. semitendinosus during heating

• Published in: Meat science Vol. 51; no. 3; pp. 237 - 243
• Main Authors: Palka, Krystyna, Daun, Henryk
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.03.1999; Elsevier
• Subjects: beef; Biological and medical sciences; cooking; cooking losses; diameter; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; heat treatment; length; Meat and meat product industries; muscle fibers; sarcomeres; skeletal muscle; temperature; texture; vacuum packaging; Heat treatment; Myofibril; Cooking; Correlation analysis; Quality; Weight loss; Meat product; Temperature effect; Beef; Microstructure; Texture
• ISSN: 0309-1740; 1873-4138
• DOI: 10.1016/S0309-1740(98)00119-3

Vacuum-packed slices of bovine semitendinosus (ST) muscle were retorted to internal temperatures of 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, and 121°C. Changes in texture of the meat were evaluated by measurements of Texture Profile Analysis (TPA) parameters. Changes in microstructure were evaluated using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and measuring fibre diameter and sarcomere length. Cooking losses were also estimated. During heating the TPA parameters changed independently of each other. They reached a maxima at different endpoint temperatures of the meat and then decreased. A decrease in fibre diameter was observed in samples heated to 60 and 121°C. Sarcomere length decreased continuously in the range 50–121°C. Cooking losses increased with increased heating temperature. Relationships between changes in sarcomere length and cooking losses and between springiness and fibre diameter were found.