This study aimed to assess the influence of ageing on the volatile compounds, as well as odour and flavour attributes of lamb meat from the Navarra breed. Twenty-one male lambs were fed a commercial concentrate diet after weaning and were harvested at 101 ± 6.5 days of age. From the Longissimus thoracis, 26 volatile compounds were identified, with hexanal, 2-propanone, and nonanal the most abundant (57.17% relative percentage abundance, RPA). The effect of ageing (1 vs. 4 d) was observed (p < 0.05) in six compounds: 1,4-dimethylbenzene decreased with ageing, while tridecane, 3-methylbutanal, 2-heptanone, 3-octanone, and 1-octen-3-ol increased. In general, ageing was linked to a decrease in livery and bloody flavour, bloody odour and ethanal, and an increase in pentane, hexanal, and heptanal, which are usually associated with fresh green grass and fat descriptors. Consequently, ageing lamb from the Navarra breed for four days might have a positive effect on meat sensory odour and flavour quality.

Nowadays, the meat industry requires non-destructive, sustainable, and rapid methods that can provide objective and accurate quality assessment with little human intervention. Therefore, the present research aimed to create a model that can classify beef samples from longissimus thoracis muscle according to their tenderness degree based on hyperspectral imaging (HSI). In order to obtain different textures, two main strategies were used: (a) aging type (wet and dry aging with or without starters) and (b) aging times (0, 7, 13, 21, and 27 days). Categorization into two groups was carried out for further chemometric analysis, encompassing group 1 (n_group1 = 30) with samples with WBSF ˂ 53 N whereas group 2 (n_group2 = 28) comprised samples with WBSF values ≥ 53 N. Then, classification models were created by applying the partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) method. The best results were achieved by combining the following pre-processing algorithms: 1st derivative + mean center, reaching 70.83% of correctly classified (CC) samples and 67.14% for cross validation (CV) and prediction, respectively. In general, it can be concluded that HSI technology combined with chemometrics has the potential to differentiate and classify meat samples according to their textural characteristics.

Identifying nonallergenic, natural water binders to increase beef patty juiciness and extend shelf life would be beneficial to the beef industry. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of integrating water binders into beef hamburger patties on cooking yield, shelf life, and pH. Five water binder treatments were added at 2% of the meat block. Treatments included potato extract, citrus fiber, dried refried beans, potato peel, or no binder (control). Six batches of each treatment were made and two patties from each batch were analyzed for each parameter. Fluid yield and lipid oxidation were measured on cooked, frozen (210 d), and reheated patties. Raw patties were used to evaluate color, fluid loss, and lipid oxidation over 4 d of retail display. Patties containing citrus fiber improved reheat yield (P = 0.03) and overall yield (P < 0.01). Citrus patties had the lowest pH (P < 0.01) at 5.45. On days 0 and 4 of retail display, patties containing a water binder treatment had less lipid oxidation than the control patties (P < 0.01). Additionally, the cooked, frozen, and reheated patties, had less lipid oxidation when containing a water binder treatment than the control patties (P < 0.01). Citrus fiber improved water retention in reheated patties, and all water binders delayed lipid oxidation in raw, cooked, frozen, and reheated patties. Increasing patty juiciness and delaying lipid oxidation will improve consumers’ eating experience of reheated, precooked patties in settings such as school or hospital cafeterias.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the growth rates, carcass quality, shelf-life, tenderness, sensory characteristics, volatile compounds, and fatty acid composition of wool, hair, and composite (wool × hair) lambs. Twenty-one wether lambs [wool (Suffolk × Polypay/Targhee; n = 7), hair (Dorper × Dorper; n = 7), and composite (Dorper × Polypay/Targhee; n = 7)] were fed from weaning to finishing at the University of Idaho Sheep Center and subsequently harvested under United States Department of Agriculture inspection at the University of Idaho Meat Lab. At 48 h postmortem, carcass measurements were taken to determine the percent boneless closely trimmed retail cuts, yield grade, and quality grade. Loins were fabricated from each carcass and wet-aged at 0°C until 10-d postmortem. Following aging, 2.54-cm bone-in loin chops were cut and randomly assigned to 4 d of retail display, Warner–Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF), or sensory analyses. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were analyzed on days 0 and 4 of retail display while subjective and objective color measurements were observed once daily. Samples (24 g) were also collected for volatile compound and fatty acid analysis. A mixed model analysis of variance was used to assess breed differences. Discernable effects were considered at P < 0.05. Wool lambs had heavier hot carcass weights (P < 0.001), larger rib-eye area (P = 0.015), and higher dressing percent (P < 0.001) than the other breeds. There was an interaction observed between breed and days of retail display for browning (P = 0.006). On day 1 chops from the composite breed had more browning than chops from the wool breed. No differences were observed between groups for lean muscle L* values (P = 0.432), a* values (P = 0.757), and b* values (P = 0.615). Differences were not observed in lipid oxidation (P = 0.159), WBSF (P = 0.540), or consumer acceptability (P = 0.295). There were differences found for 7 of the 45 fatty acids detected and in 3 of the 67 volatile compounds detected. In conclusion, wool lambs were heavier and had a greater carcass yield than the hair lamb carcasses. Regardless of breed, consumers did not detect sensory traits that would impact their eating experience. The U.S. lamb industry has been steadily losing production operations since the 1990s due to a decline in lamb consumption, caused by consumer flavor preferences, an increase in synthetic fabrics, and importation from Australia and New Zealand. This has limited the overall need for U.S. producers. The focus of this research was to evaluate the differences among wool, hair, and composite groups of lamb for growth traits, carcass characteristics, shelf-life stability, consumer flavor, volatile compounds, and fatty acid profiling. The study found the wool group maintained a higher overall weight, as well as a taller shoulder height, and heart girth circumference over the hair group. The wool group also had a superior final carcass size; however, the quality grade did not differ between the composite and wool groups. There was no difference between groups for consumer sensory levels or cook loss. Minimal variation was shown throughout the retail shelf-life; however, general discoloration increased as expected during retail display. Tenderness levels between groups were also similar. Volatile compounds showed differences for three compounds with variation between groups. Fatty acid analysis also determined seven compounds of interest; however, common fatty acids known to be flavor factors were not different between groups.

Extending the shelf life of exported beef could increase international demand and producer profits. The objective was to evaluate the effects of topically applying combinations of acerola cherry powder and rosemary extract on the shelf life of frozen–thawed bone-in beef short rib and chuck roll steaks. Chuck rolls (IMPS 116A; N = 9) and bone-in short ribs (IMPS 123A; N = 18) were aged (7 d; 0 °C), frozen (30 d; −20 °C), and thawed (60–72 h; 0 °C). Steaks measuring 1.02 cm thick were treated and subjected to a 4 d retail display. Steaks were left untreated (control) or sprayed topically with acerola cherry powder (0.05%; A), rosemary extract (0.10%; R), or a combination (M1 = 0.05% A + 0.1% R; M2 = 0.1% A + 0.1% R; M3 = 0.05% A + 0.2% R; M4 = 0.1% A + 0.2% R). Chuck roll M2- and M4-treated steaks were redder than the control steaks on days 3 and 4 (p = 0.008), and antioxidant-treated steaks had less lipid oxidation on day 4 than the control steaks (p = 0.021). Bone marrow samples treated with R, M3, and M4 were redder than the control on days 1–3 (p = 0.014), and bone marrow treated with M3 was subjectively redder compared to the control on days 0 and 1 (p = 0.033). Topical antioxidants improve the redness and delay the oxidation of frozen–thawed beef.

Osteogenesis is a developmental process critical for structural support and the establishment of a dynamic reservoir for calcium and phosphorus. Changes in livestock breeding over the past 100 years have resulted in earlier bone development and increased physical size of cattle. Advanced skeletal maturity is now commonly observed at harvest, with heifers displaying more mature bone than is expected at 30 months of age (MOA). We surmise that selection for growth traits and earlier reproductive maturity resulted in co-selection for accelerated skeletal ossification. This study examines the relationship of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 793 beef heifers under 30 MOA with USDA-graded skeletal maturity phenotypes (A-, B-, C- skeletal maturity). Further, the estrogen content of FDA-approved hormonal implants provided to heifers prior to harvest was evaluated in association with the identified SNPs and maturities. Association tests were performed, and the impact of the implants were evaluated as covariates against genotypes using a logistic regression model. SNPs from the ESR1, ALPL, PPARGC1B, SORCS1 genes, and SNPs near KLF14, ANKRD61, USP42, H1C1, OVCA2, microRNA mir-29a were determined to be associated with the advanced skeletal ossification phenotype in heifers. Higher dosage estrogen implants increased skeletal maturity in heifers with certain SNP genotypes.