Improvement of Color and Oxidative Stabilities in Nellore Bull Dark Meat in High-Oxygen Package by Lactate and Rosemary Oil Extract
Caio César de Sousa Ribeiro,
Kathelyn Araújo Guimarães,
Eduardo Francisquine Delgado,
Júlio César de Carvalho Balieiro,
Anna Cecilia Venturini,
Carmen Josefina Contreras Castillo
Affiliations
Caio César de Sousa Ribeiro
Agri-Food Industry, Food and Nutrition, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of Sao Paulo, Piracicaba 13418-900, Brazil
Kathelyn Araújo Guimarães
Agri-Food Industry, Food and Nutrition, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of Sao Paulo, Piracicaba 13418-900, Brazil
Eduardo Francisquine Delgado
Department of Animal Science, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of Sao Paulo, Piracicaba 13418-900, Brazil
Júlio César de Carvalho Balieiro
Department of Nutrition and Animal Production, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 13635-900, Brazil
Anna Cecilia Venturini
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Environmental, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Diadema 09913-030, Brazil
Carmen Josefina Contreras Castillo
Agri-Food Industry, Food and Nutrition, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of Sao Paulo, Piracicaba 13418-900, Brazil
This study aimed to improve the color and oxidative stabilities of dark Nellore bull steaks with greater-than-normal ultimate pH (pHu) by the injection (8% raw wet weight basis) of a solution with L-lactate (2.5%), phosphate (0.3%) and rosemary extract (0.06%), with further packaging in high oxygen atmosphere (HiOx MAP). Longissimus lumborum muscles from pasture-fed Nellore bulls were divided into three pHu ranges: normal (n = 6/pHu range) or injected (E, n = 6/pHu range) groups, at 72 h postmortem. Each section was cut into 2 cm-slices, which were HiOx-packed and then stored for 5 days (dark) and displayed for 9 days (fluorescent lighting) at 2 °C. Higher pHu steaks exhibited greater a*, b*, h*, C* and surface oxymyoglobin and lower surface deoxymyoglobin and oxygen consumption compared to those of normal pHu between days 0 and 5 (p u muscles showed oxidative protection (lower TBARS and greater metmyoglobin reducing ability values, p u Nellore bull steaks with a preferable color and quality, even after display time.
