At the end of all treatments, samples were placed in ice water for20 min.
The vacuum bags were opened, the pH and colour were recorded and each steak was weighed.
Immediately following mea- surements, samples allocated for cooking were placed in a water bath at 80 °C for 30 min and then cooled in ice water for 30 min. All samples were then stored overnight at 5 °C. On the following day, subsamples were assessed for tenderness using the Warner– Bratzler device with a modified holder.