PRESSURE‐HEAT TREATMENT OF POSTRIGOR MUSCLE: EFFECTS ON TENDERNESS

Abstract

ABSTRACT Pressures of the order of 100 MNm —2 applied for 2.5 min or longer to postrigor muscle heated to 40–60°C improved the tenderness of the meat when subsequently cooked. The magnitude of the effect depended on the intensity and duration of pressurization, and the temperature attained by the meat during pressurization. As judged by taste panel assessment and by shear values of the cooked meat, the properties of pressure‐heat treated postrigor muscle approximated those of prerigor pressurized muscle. The process is effective in overcoming toughness associated with contracted muscle. It is suggested that the treatment operates on the myofibrillar component of toughness.