Tenderness and Water Holding Properties of Beef Muscle as Influenced by Freezing and Subsequent Storage at ‐3 or 15°c

When postrigor sternomandibularis muscle from beef was frozen then stored at −3°C for times ranging from 4 hr to 28 days, a significant, approximately linear decrease in shear force (determined after cooking) occurred. The extent of shear force decline achieved during storage for 28 days at −3°C significantly exceeded that achieved by aging like samples of meat at 15−C for 3 days postrigor. Upon completion of rigor, some muscles were frozen, thawed, then aged at 15−C for 24 hr. The decrease in shear force of these samples was significantly greater than that achieved in samples that were stored for 48 hr at 15−C and then frozen, thawed and evaluated.