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Title: EFFECTS OF PRE-HARVEST CALCIUM ADMINISTRATION AND POST-HARVEST FREEZING ON CALLIPYGE TENDERNESS

Author
item DUCKETT, S. - UNIV OF IDAHO
item ANDRAE, J. - UNIV OF IDAHO
item PRITCHARD, G. - UNIV OF IDAHO
item CUVALA, S. - UNIV OF IDAHO
item WATSON, K. - UNIV OF IDAHO
item KUBER, P. - WASH STATE UNIV
item Snowder, Gary

Submitted to: American Meat Science Association Conference Reciprocal Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: Duckett, S.K., Andrae, J.G., Pritchard, G.T., Cuvala, S.L., Watson, K., Kuber, P.S., Snowder, G.D. 1999. Effects of pre-harvest calcium administration and post-harvest freezing on callipyge tenderness. Proceedings 52nd Annual Reciprocal Meat Conference, American Meat Science Association, p. 137.

Interpretive Summary: Lambs expressing the callipyge phenotype have a decrease in the tenderness of the loin and rack meat cuts. Earlier research had shown that calcium chloride injection into the meat after slaughter significantly improves tenderness. This study investigated the efficacy of drenching lambs with calcium propionate gel prior to slaughter on improving tenderness. Additional tenderness treatments were imposed and included freezing or aging the meat after slaughter for various lengths of time (1 to 28 days). The results indicated that the calcium propionate gel treatment was unsuccessful. Freezing the callipyge lamb meat for 7 days and then aging it for 14 days resulted in acceptable improvement in tenderness.

Technical Abstract: Twenty callipyge lambs were used to assess the effect of pre-harvest calicum propionate administration and/or post-harvest freezing before aging on tenderness. The lambs were randomly assigned to one of the following treatments: controls (C; n=10) and calicum gel administered (GEL; n=10). At about three h prior to slaughter, the GEL lambs were drenched orally with 250 mL of a calcium propionate-propylone glycol gel that contained 25 g of calcium, 105 g propionate, and 100 g propylene glycol. At 24 h postmortem, carcass data were collected and chops (25.4 cm thick) removed from both longissimus MUSCLES. The chops from the left side were vacuum packaged and aged at 4 degrees C for 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 d (FRESH). The chops from the right side were vacuum packed, frozen at -20 degrees C for 14 d, thawed and then aged for 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 d (FROZEN). Warner- Bratzler shear force values did not differ (P>.05) between C and GEL ttreatment. Warner-Bratzler shear force values were lower for FROZEN than FRESH at each aging period. Postmortem aging rate was faster for FROZEN than FRESH (P<.01). Pre-harvest tenderization of callipyge lamb with a calcium gel treatment was unsuccessful.