abstract
Article history:
Received 26 June 2013
Accepted 21 August 2013
Keywords:
Chinese fattened cattle
Achilles tendon suspension
Pelvic suspension
Aging time
Meat quality
Tenderness
Objectives of the present study were to evaluate the effects of suspension method and aging time on quality traits
of Chinese fattened cattle M. Longissimus dorsi (LD). At the end of the slaughter line, the right sides of carcasses
were re-hung from the pelvic bone obturator foramen, while the left sides remained hung by Achilles tendon
suspension (AS). LD muscles were aged for 1, 7, 14 and 21 days and were then evaluated for quality index. Pelvic
suspension (PS) significantly decreased the WBSF of beef muscle at 1 d and 7 d postmortem compared with AS.
The tenderness with PS at 7 d postmortem was similar with that of AS at 14 d. Moreover, PS increased sarcomere
length and decreased purge loss of LD significantly. In addition, aging time had a significant effect on pH, meat
color, Warner–Bratzler shear force, and myofibril fragmentation index of LD muscle. To conclude, PS is valuable
to be introduced to the beef industry in China for rapid (within 7 days) improvement of beef tenderness and
decreased aging time of Chinese fattened cattle.
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