2.1. Experiment 1: cooler shrink
Paired half carcasses of 30 Bos indicus bulls at 18 to 30 months of
age were randomly selected. The carcasses were visually inspected for
fat cover, which was classified as absent (less than 1 mm), scarce (1 to
3 mm), average (4 to 6 mm), uniform (7 to 10 mm) and excessive
(more than 10 mm) according to Brazilian standards (Brasil, 1989).
The chilling of half carcasses was conducted in two stages: in a halfcarcass
chilling chamber for the first 24 h and in a quarter-carcass cold
storage chamber for the remaining 72 h.
2.1.1. Polyethylene film wrapping
Prior to chilling, the left half of the carcasses was completely
wrapped fromthe rear to front by a layer of linear low-density polyethylene
(LLDPE) plastic film that was 0.008 ± 0.0012-mm thick and
50-cm wide (Winpack model — AG Remy Stretch Film do Brasil Ltda.,
Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil). The right half of the
carcasses (pairs of wrapped carcasses) composed the unwrapped
group (control group).