At the end of all treatments, samples were placed in ice water for 20 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.