Drying behavior and quality parameters of dried beef (biltong) subjected to different pre-treatments and maturation stages

The drying behavior of fresh, matured, and frozen beef, marinated with 0.5% salt, 1% salt, salt and vinegar, and blind samples, dried at 70°C, was investigated. Weight and color (CIELAB) were measured and images of the samples were created with a hyperspectral imaging camera. Results show that the marinade and the type of beef influences the drying behavior of beef, but not the final color. Results from the hyperspectral imaging show that it is possible to build good fitting prediction models resulting in high R2 (min. 0.81, max. 0.98) and low RMSE (min. 0.08, max. 2.35) for moisture content, a* and b* values.