Can calcium chloride injection facilitate the ageing-derived improvement in the quality of meat from culled dairy cows?

• Main Authors: T. Bunmee, S. Jaturasitha, M. Kreuzer, M. Wicke
• Format: Journal
• Published: 2018
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=84891699727&origin=inward; http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/jspui/handle/6653943832/45088
• Institution: Chiang Mai University

This study investigated whether the positive effects of ageing on tenderness of meat from culled dairy cows can be facilitated by CaCl 2 . Injections of 250mM CaCl 2 solution (10% wt/wt) were performed on Longissimus dorsi samples from 32 7-yrs old cows. Samples were vacuum packaged and aged for 0, 1, 3, 5 and 7days. Ageing alone produced lighter and less red meat with lower shear force, higher myofibrillar fragmentation and tenderness scores but also elevated lipid oxidation. For most traits investigated, CaCl 2 -injected meat exhibited similar ageing effects, but drip loss increased with age. The CaCl 2 -injected meat had a lower shear force and myofibrillar fragmentation increased more rapidly, but drip loss, off-flavour scores, colour stability and oxidative stability were inferior to untreated meat. Overall, it was found possible to accelerate tenderisation of such meat with CaCl 2 , but only at the cost of adverse effects in some other quality traits. © 2013.