Surface L* values changed only slightly during storage for a given packaging condition, whereas significant differences were observed between the different packaging conditions (Pb0.01). In high O2 packages, initial L* values were between 34.46 and 34.62 and decreased to 30.18–30.79 at day 10. Meat in 60:40:0/O2:CO2:N2 atmosphere packages was generally darker (lower L*) in appearance than meat in the MAP and air systems.
Changes in surface CIE a* values throughout storage are shown in Table 2a. Redness values for air and MAP packaged samples decreased (Pb0.05) during storage. This decrease was higher (Pb0.05) for high O2 MAP packaged ostrich samples than for air and other MAP packaged ones. In a high oxygen atmosphere, oxymyoglobin is rapidly formed, which provides the typical cherry-red visual colour of ostrich meat
Surface CIE b* values decreased (Pb0.05) during storage for ostrich meat packaged in air and MAP (Tables 2a and 2b). The smallest yellowness values were in air packaged samples reaching 8.43–8.69 at the end of storage; while MAP packages gave values between 9.60 and 10.88.