Storing ground beef at frozen temperatures prior to refrigerated display when using thermoforming vacuum packaging is not a common manufacturing practice. However, limited data on thermoforming packaging film and its interaction with meat quality suggests that more information is needed. The current study aimed to identify the influences of thermoforming packaging on the surface color and lipid oxidation of ground beef. Ground beef was portioned into 454 g bricks and packaged into one of three thermoforming films: T1 (150 µ polyethylene/EVOH/polyethylene coextrusion), T2 (175 µ polyethylene /EVOH/polyethylene coextrusion), and T3 (200 µ polyethylene/EVOH/polyethylene coextrusion), stored for 21 days at −20.83 °C (±1.50 °C), and displayed for 42 days at 3.0 °C ± 1.5 °C. There were no statistical differences for the packaging treatment of lipid oxidation (p = 0.0744), but oxidation increased throughout storage day (p < 0.0001). The main effects of treatment and day resulted in altered (p < 0.05) surface lightness (L*), redness (a*), yellowness, hue angle (°), red-to-brown (RTB), and relative myoglobin for met-myoglobin (MET), deoxymyoglobin (DMB), and oxymyoglobin (OMB). Surprisingly, there was an interaction between treatment and day for the calculated relative values of chroma (p = 0.0321), Delta E (p = 0.0155), and the ratio of a*:b* (p < 0.0001). These results indicate that thermoforming vacuum packaging can reduce the rate of deterioration that occurs to ground beef color and the rate of oxidation.

Consumer purchasing of beef is often driven by the trinity of flavor, palatability, and convenience. Currently, beef patties in the United States are manufactured with fat and lean trimmings derived from skeletal muscles. A reduction in total beef supply may require the use of animal by-product utilization such as variety meats to achieve patty formulations. The current study aimed to assess textural, color, and flavor characteristics in addition to volatile compounds through electronic technology, e-nose and e-tongue, of ground beef patties formulated with beef heart. Ground beef patties were manufactured with 0%, 6%, 12%, or 18% beef heart, with the remainder of the meat block being shoulder clod-derived ground beef. Patties (n = 65/batch/treatment) within each batch (n = 3) with each treatment were randomly allocated to cooked color (n = 17/batch/treatment), Allo–Kramer shear force (AKSF; n = 17/batch/treatment), texture profile analysis (TPA; n = 6/batch/treatment), cooking loss (n = 17/batch/treatment), consumer panel (n = 3/batch/treatment), e-nose (n = 1/batch/treatment), and e-tongue (n = 1/batch/treatment) analysis groups. Patties containing beef heart did not require additional cooking time (p = 0.1325) nor exhibit greater cooking loss (p = 0.0803). Additionally, inclusion rates of beef heart increased hardness (p = 0.0030) and chewiness values (p = 0.0316) in TPA, were internally redder (p = 0.0001), and reduced overall liking by consumer panelists (p = 0.0367). Lastly, patties containing beef heart exhibited greater red-to-brown (p = 0.0003) and hue angle (p = 0.0001) values than control patties. The results suggest that beef heart inclusion does alter ground beef quality characteristics and consumer acceptability.

With rising consumer demand for fast-food options, quick-service restaurants are constantly developing new menu items to attract consumers. Sous vide cookery has become popular for the in-home and fine dining consumer but has not been considered the first cooking option for quick service applications. Therefore, ground beef patties were manufactured to measure the influence of sous vide cooking time on the patty characteristics of moisture, color, and objective tenderness. Patties were randomly assigned a sous vide cooking time of 30, 60, or 90 min and then grilled to an internal temperature of 71.1 °C. Patties sous vide cooked for 30 min exhibited the greatest (p < 0.05) cook loss, Allo–Kramer Shear Force (AKSF) and were darker (L*) than patties sous vide cooked for 60 or 90 min. Additionally, neither internal redness, calculated spectral values of chroma, hue angle, or red-to-brown differed (p > 0.05) regardless of sous vide cooking time. Sous vide cooking duration prior to grilling the ground beef patties altered the moisture, color, and objective texture characteristics of ground beef patties.

Vacuum-based packaging is less frequently applied to poultry at the retail level. Evaluating the impact of vacuum packaging on fresh poultry may elicit extensions to storage life and reduce spoilage for consumer products such as fresh chicken. Boneless–skinless chicken breasts (N = 315; 105/treatment) were packaged using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) overwrap, vacuum packaging (VP), or vacuum skin packaging (VSP) and stored in simulated retail conditions for 20 days. Packages of fresh chicken were measured for changes in surface color, odor, pH, microbial growth, lipid oxidation, and volatile compounds. Packaging treatment significantly influenced surface color, with VP samples appearing lighter (p < 0.0001) and less red (p < 0.0001) than chicken packaged using PVC. Odor scores increased as storage time increased (p < 0.0001), and VSP maintained the most favorable odor throughout the 20-day refrigerated display. Lipid oxidation was greatest in PVC (p = 0.0338) packages on day 5 and lowest for VSP chicken packages on day 15. Electronic nose (e-nose) analysis concluded that packaging can influence aldehydes (p = 0.0025), alkanes (p = 0.0143), and terpene (p = 0.0214), compounds which have been associated with off-odors. In addition, microbial counts increased during storage time across all packaging types (p < 0.0001) but did not exceed a spoilage threshold of 7-log CFU/g throughout the 20 days of storage. The results conclude that vacuum-based packaging methods, either VP or VSP, can improve storage duration meat quality characteristics during refrigerated storage, and volatile e-nose compounds may be linked to the development of off-odors.

Extended storage duration often results in negative quality attributes of fresh or frozen beef steaks. This study focused on evaluating the fresh and cooked meat quality of beef steaks stored using vacuum packaging for 63 days. Steaks 2.54 cm thick were packaged into one of three thermoforming films VPA (250 µ nylon/EVOH/enhanced polyethylene coextrusion), VPB (250 µ nylon/EVOH/enhanced polyethylene coextrusion), or VPC (125 µ nylon/EVOH/enhanced/polyethylene coextrusion). Steaks placed in VPA were lighter (L*) and redder (a*) in surface color (p < 0.05) as the display period increased, whereas steaks packaged in VPB and VPC became darker. Yellowness, hue angle (Hue°), and chroma (C*) values were greater (p < 0.05) in steaks using VPC film as the storage period increased. Calculated spectral values of red to brown were greater (p < 0.05) for steaks in VPA and VPB than in VPC. However, steaks placed in VPC films contained greater (p < 0.05) forms of metmyoglobin and oxymyoglobin and lower calculated relative values of deoxymyoglobin. In addition, packaging treatment altered (p > 0.05) lipid oxidation, but storage time had a greater (p < 0.05) influence on purge loss, cook loss, and Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF). Current results suggest that the use of vacuum packaging for extended storage of beef steaks (>60) days is plausible.

Quality and consumer satisfaction of meat products could be influenced by endpoint cooking temperatures. Attributes of pork, such as palatability, cooking loss, and internal color, influence consumer acceptability. The degree of doneness was evaluated on pork chop characteristics of texture, cooking loss, consumer acceptability, and electronic nose. Pork loin chops (N = 264) were allocated randomly to one of three endpoint degrees of doneness (63 °C, 71 °C, and 79 °C). Cooking pork chops to an internal temperature of 79 °C caused the cooked color to be darker (p < 0.0001) and less red (p = 0.0057). In addition, chops cooked to a 63 °C degree of doneness had greater moisture and lower shear force values (p < 0.0001). Consumer panel ratings of flavor profiles were greater for juiciness, texture, and tenderness (p < 0.0001) when chops were cooked to a 63 °C degree of doneness. Electronic nose analysis of the changes in cooked volatiles can impact the overall flavor and aroma profiles of pork loin chops. These findings conclude that cooking pork chops to an internal temperature of 63 °C improves the overall eating quality, acceptability, and cooking characteristics of pork loin chops. However, more information on the use of an optimal endpoint cooking temperature is needed to improve consumer awareness of pork chop quality.