Alternative Aging and Cold Storage Strategies Influence Beef Shelf-Life and Sensory Attributes

Discoloration and retail shrink cost the beef industry billions of dollars annually. The objective of the current study was to determine the effects of alternative aging strategies and cold storage management on shelf-life and sensory attributes of longissimus thoracis (LT) and gluteus medius (GM) steaks. At 4 d postmortem, boneless beef ribeye rolls (n = 32; Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications [IMPS] 112A) and boneless beef top sirloin butts (n = 32; IMPS 184B) from the US Department of Agriculture choice carcasses were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments and aged to 35 d postmortem. Treatments included control ([C] 2°C), deep chill ([DC] −1.5°C), blast freezing ([BF] −20°C), and flash freezing ([FF] dry ice, storage at −20°C). On day 35, fluid loss was determined for each subprimal. Steaks were cut from each carcass and analyzed for the following: objective and subjective color, lipid oxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive sub- stances [TBARS]), Warner-Bratzler shear force, and consumer sensory analysis. Aging treatment influenced LT (P = .0002) and GM (P < .0001) a* values. DC LT steaks had the highest average a* values, while FF steaks maintained the lowest, but were similar to BF. In GM steaks, DC and C steaks had the highest a* values. Lipid oxidation exhibited an aging treatment by day of retail display interaction for LT steaks (P = .0027) and GM steaks (P = .0395). C steaks from LT had the highest TBARS values by day 3 of retail display, and FF steaks maintained the lowest TBARS values through day 3 of retail display. In general, across all 3 days of retail display, refrigeration treatments led to steaks with higher a* values, and freezing treatments led to lower levels of lipid oxidation. Therefore, alternative aging and cold storage strategies can improve potential profits for the beef industry.