Acceleration of Tenderization/Inhibition of Warmed‐Over Flavor by Calcium Chloride‐Antioxidant Infusion into Lamb Carcasses

Infusion of 0.3M calcium chloride plus 1% sodium ascorbate or 0.25% maltol into freshly slaughtered lambs resulted in acceleration of postmortem tenderization through activation of calcium dependent proteases, inhibition of lipid oxidation and retardation of warmed‐over flavor on ground cooked patties from their meat. After storage 2 days at 4°C, patties from lamb carcasses treated with antioxidants retained more desirable flavor characteristics (meaty and musty/herby) of lamb, and had less off‐flavor (painty and cardboardy) intensities.