COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF BEEF QUALITY DEPENDING ON THE AGING CONDITIONS

Abstract

Recently, more and more attention of specialists has been attracted by studies of the quality of meat raw materials depending on the conditions of its maturation, including dry maturation, due to the increased demand for meat of this aging method, which has more pronounced organoleptic characteristics that allow it to be attributed to premium quality products. The purpose of the work was to evaluate the properties of high-quality dry-matured beef relative to similar raw materials of traditional maturation.

The studies were performed on bone cuts of the spinal-lumbar part of Hereford bulls. Maturation conditions: dry - aging in dry-aging cabinets, temperature 0... 1^oC, relative humidity 75%, 42 days low positive temperature (0... 1^oC), relative humidity 72-75%, duration 42 days; traditional - temperature 0 ...+4^oC, relative humidity 85%, 5 days.

According to the organoleptic evaluation using a hedonic scale, tasters evaluate the taste, smell and consistency of dry-matured beef steaks as more desirable. The results of the organoleptic evaluation are consistent with the data of the consistency assessment by the instrumental method in terms of the cutting force, which was 16.5% lower for long-maturing meat. For dry-maturing beef, a higher water-binding capacity was established (by 4.9%), with a decrease in the mass fraction of total moisture in the meat and an increase in the mass fraction of fat and protein, which contributes to greater juiciness and tenderness of the meat. The data obtained suggest that prolonged dry aging leads to an increase in consumer quality and nutritional value of meat. In the process of high-temperature cooking, such meat loses less moisture (loss reduction by 4.7%). In general, the results of the work allow us to positively assess the prospects for dry maturation of high-quality beef, intended mainly for the catering industry.