Effect of finishing and ageing time on quality attributes of loin from the meat of Holstein–Fresian cull cows

Abstract

The effects of finishingtime, (T0 = 0, T1 = 30 and T2 = 60 days), on Holstein–Friesian cull cows (n = 18) and post-mortemageing, (1, 7, 14, 21, 35 and 42 days), under vacuum conditions of Longissimus thoracis (LT) muscles were investigated. The objective of this research was to study how finishing feeding (based on a commercial concentrate and corn silage), following a pasture period of 90 days, affected carcass and meat quality. Ageingtimeeffect was also evaluated on the main qualityattribute of added value pieces, such as “striploin of ox” from cull cows. Finishing treatment affected intramuscular fat content (IMF), moisture percentage, water-holding capacity (WHC), colour parameters and shear force of meat at 24 h post-mortem, whereas ageingtime enhanced meat tenderness, when this was measured by two textural tests, Warner–Braztler (WB) and textural profile analysis (TPA). A minimum shear force was achieved at 7 and 14 days of ageing for T1 and T2, respectively. No differences (P > 0.05) could be found in colour parameters from 7 to 42 days. The results show that a finishingtime of two months is very beneficial, due to the increase in meat fatness, improved overall carcass quality and luminosity (L*). Furthermore, 14 ageing days were sufficient to improved tenderness. Ageingtime did not have an effect on lipid oxidation (P > 0.05) and this leads us to conclude that meat shelf life exceeded 42 days under vacuum conditions’