Textural Changes in Intermediate Moisture Meat During Storage at 38°c

Intermediate moisture beef prepared by cook‐soak equilibration, with glycerol and sodium chloride as humectants, was stored at 38°C under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions for up to 12 weeks. Meat texture was measured by Warner‐Bratzler, tensile and objective texture profile methods. Covalent crosslink formation was monitored by solubility measurements in solutions of sodium dodecyl sulphate plus β‐mercaptoethanol. A decrease in the Warner‐Bratzler peak height on storage was observed though this did not depend strongly on the storage environment. In contrast, the large decrease observed in the tensile force required to rupture the meat when pulling perpendicular to the fibre direction was greater for aerobically stored meat. The cohesiveness and ‘elasticity’ of the meat as determined by objective texture profile measurements showed an initial decrease followed by a subsequent increase, but a similar increase was not shown by the hardness parameter. The results are discussed in terms of the crosslinking and degradative reactions known to occur in meat of this type.