A Review on Hot Boning of Beef: Quality Implications and Traditional Practices in Developing Regions

This review is aimed at exploring the evolution, scientific basis, and technological advancements related to hot boning (HB) and its implications on beef quality, safety, and other related areas. HB, which is one of the traditional and ancient slaughter methods, has become more well known because of its logistical and financial advantages, such as decreased energy usage, easier processing, and cheaper chilling costs. In contrast to traditional cold boning, prerigor muscle excision frequently impairs tenderness, color stability, and water‐holding capacity. Many postharvest techniques, including electrical stimulation, wet and dry aging, chemical and enzymatic interventions, pulsed electric field (PEF), high‐pressure processing (HPP), and mechanical tenderization, have been studied to address these issues. Among these, electrical stimulation and modified chilling strategies appear most feasible for adoption in resource‐limited settings, whereas high‐cost technologies such as HPP and PEF remain economically constrained. Furthermore, the elevated temperatures associated with prerigor processing raise microbiological safety concerns, particularly in regions with inadequate infrastructure. This review highlights the trade‐offs between functional advantages and quality limitations of HB and emphasizes the integration of cost‐effective technologies to enhance its applicability. Overall, HB systems, when combined with appropriate interventions, present a viable strategy to balance processing efficiency, meat quality, and food safety in both developing and industrialized meat sectors.