Nucleotide degradation during the extended storage of lamb and beef

Beef and lamb meat from various muscles was irradiated (0·4 Mrad) and the autolysis of nucleotides followed during storage for 70 days at 2°c. The irradiation prevented bacterial spoilage during this period but had no effect on the nucleotide content or on the enzymic activity. Inosine monophosphate was completely hydrolysed to hypoxanthine in 30–40 days in fillet, neck and shoulder meat of beef but more slowly in topside. The rate of autolysis was much lower in lamb leg. The disappearance of inosine monophosphate did not correlate with changes in organoleptic acceptability in these meats.