3.11. Colour
The Hunter L value for lightness was significantly higher in the
control samples held at 5 °C compared to the PEF and water bath
treated samples (Table 5). This suggests that the lightness of the samples
was affected by the temperature induced by PEF and water bath
treatment. It has been reported that colour is less stable at elevated
temperatures (Jeremiah & Gibson, 2001). The red (a) and yellow (b)
values were lower in the treated samples than in the controls and
with a significant loss observed in the water bath treated samples,
suggesting that, heating the beef in a water bath influenced the stability
of oxymoglobin and caused some change in the redox state molecule
compared to the PEF treatment.