Influence of carcass suspension on physical and sensory quality of meat from Gascon heifers

BUREŠ, Daniel and BARTOŇ, Luděk. Influence of carcass suspension on physical and sensory quality of meat from Gascon heifers. Maso, 2019, vol. 30(4), p. 33-37. ISSN 1210-4086.
Year2019
CathegoryPublication in specialized journals
Internal link19088.pdf
Abstract

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of different hanging method of beef carcass halves (hung either by the Achilles tendon or the pelvic bone) on meat quality. Three muscles (longissimus lumborum, biceps femoris and semitendinosus) were collected from the carcasses of six Gascon heifers slaughtered at the average age of 24 months. Pelvic suspension decreased drip loss, thawing loss and cooking loss. Instrumental toughness (Warner-Bratzler shear force) was also reduced by pelvic suspension. Sensory analysis showed that the meat from pelvic-suspended sides received higher scores for tenderness, chewiness and overall acceptance than that from Achilles-suspended sides. This study clearly shows the benefits of pelvic suspension related to important meat quality characteristics.