Prediction of tenderness in bovine longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscles using Raman spectroscopy.

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate Raman spectroscopy technique as a noninvasive tool to predict meat quality traits on Braford longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle.

Methods: Thirty samples of muscle from Braford steers were analyzed by classical meat quality techniques and by Raman spectroscopy with 785 nm laser excitation. Water holding capacity (WHC), intramuscular fat content (IMF), cooking loss (CL), and texture profile analysis recording hardness, cohesiveness, and chewiness were determined, along with fiber diameter and sarcomere length by scanning electron microscopy.