Effects of long spray-chilling on water pocket development in ribeyes.

Water Pocket (WP) is a defect on beef that may lead to significant economic losses. Our hypothesis is that longer spray-chilling time increases WP incidence on ribeyes (M. longissimus thoracis).

The influence of forage diets and aging on beef palatability.

To investigate the influence of diet and aging on beef palatability, lipid oxidative stability, and fatty acid composition, crossbred steers were assigned to Feedlot S (alfalfa and grain), Forage TR (triticale and annual ryegrass), Forage TK (triticale and kale), or Forage+Feedlot (grazing ryegrass, fescue and orchardgrass, finished on alfalfa and grain) dietary treatments. Heifers were finished on Feedlot H (alfalfa and grain). Longissimus and tricep muscles were sampled from these animals for steaks and ground beef, respectively.

Effect of sampling fat location and cooking on fatty acid composition of beef steaks.

To investigate the impact of sampling fat location and cooking on fatty acid composition of beef steaks, 21 raw steaks from crossbred steers were dissected to obtain outer (OSC) and inner subcutaneous fat (ISC), seam fat, marbling, and lean muscle. Twenty-one cooked steaks were dissected to obtain OSC, ISC, seam fat, surface and inner muscle. Trans-vaccenic acid and c9, t11-CLA percentages were lower (P<0.

Light microscopy and image analysis of thin filament lengths utilizing dual probes on beef, chicken, and rabbit myofibrils.

Image analysis procedures for immunofluorescence microscopy were developed to measure muscle thin filament lengths of beef, rabbit, and chicken myofibrils. Strips of beef cutaneous trunci, rectus abdominis, psoas, and masseter; chicken pectoralis; and rabbit psoas muscles were excised 5 to 30 min postmortem. Fluorescein phalloidin and rhodamine myosin subfragment-1 (S1) were used to probe the myofibril structure.

Quadratic relationship between early-post-mortem glycolytic rate and beef tenderness.

Post-mortem (PM) glycolytic rate in beef M. longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) was controlled by applying low-voltage electrical stimulation (ES) for 1 min at different stages along the slaughter line. The ES treatments were as follows: (1) No electrical stimulation (NES); (2) 75 V to one side of the carcass immediately after splitting; (3) 20-40 V during exsanguination; (4) 75 V either during or following exsanguination.