Cookery method and endpoint temperature can affect the Warner-Bratzler shear force, cooking loss, and internal cooked color of beef semimembranosus and infraspinatus steaks.

Steaks from USDA Select inside rounds (Exp. 1) and shoulder clods (Exp. 2) were used to test the interactive effect of cookery method and endpoint temperature on Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and internal cooked color. Pairs of 2.5-cm-thick semimembranosus (SM) or infraspinatus (INF) steaks ( = 360/muscle) were cut from each subprimal, labeled, vacuum packaged, and frozen at -30°C in the dark for approximately 60 d before being cooked to 65.5, 71.1, or 76.6°C using 1) a forced-air convection oven (FAC); 2) a forced-air impingement oven (IMP); 3) a gas-fired, open-hearth charbroiler (CHAR); 4) an electric countertop griddle (GRID); or 5) a clam-shell grill (CLAM). Thawed steaks were cooked to their assigned endpoint temperature × cookery method combination, and, after a 5-min cooling period, steaks were weighed to calculate cooking loss percentage and subsequently sliced perpendicular to the cut surface to measure instrumental cooked color. Then, 6 cores were removed for measurement of WBSF. Cooking losses of SM steaks increased ( < 0.05) with each increase in endpoint temperature, whereas INF steaks cooked on a CHAR had the greatest ( < 0.05) cooking losses and cooking INF steaks with the GRID and the CLAM resulted in lesser ( < 0.05) cooking losses than cooking with the FAC and the IMP. Cooking SM steaks on the CHAR resulted in greater ( < 0.05) WBSF values than all other cookery methods when cooked to 65.5 and 76.6°C and greater ( < 0.05) WBSF values than those cooked on the FAC, GRID, and CLAM when cooked to 71.1°C. Shear force values were greater ( < 0.05) for INF steaks cooked to 71.1 and 76.6°C than those cooked to 65.5°C, but INF WBSF values were similar ( = 0.55) among cookery methods. At 65.5°C, FAC-cooked SM steaks were redder ( < 0.05) than those cooked with the GRID and the IMP and, at 71.1°C, CLAM-cooked SM steaks were redder ( < 0.05) than FAC- and IMP-cooked SM steaks; however, a* values were similar ( > 0.05) among cookery methods when cooked to 76.6°C. Redness did not ( > 0.05) differ among INF steaks cooked to 65.5 and 71.1°C with the FAC and the CHAR, whereas internal color of INF steaks cooked in the IMP and the FAC was redder ( < 0.05) than that of INF steaks cooked with the CLAM and the GRID to 76.6°C. Results suggest that endpoint temperature has a greater impact on cooking properties of SM and INF steaks than cookery method, yet it is apparent that internal cooked color of INF and SM steaks react differently to some cookery method-endpoint temperature combinations.

Lactic acid enhancement can improve the fresh and cooked color of dark-cutting beef.

Two experiments were conducted to compare the effects of enhancing dark-cutting (DC) strip loins with lactic acid (LAC) on fresh and cooked beef color, as well as sensory attributes, with nonenhanced, normal pH strip loins (CH). Strip loins, with an average ultimate pH of 6.70 ± 0.11 (Exp. 1) and 6.78 ± 0.11 (Exp. 2), were cut into 2 equal-length sections, and DC sections were randomly assigned as either nonenhanced DC or DC enhanced with 0.15 (Exp. 1), 0.35 (Exp. 1 and 2), or 0.50% (Exp. 2) LAC at a target of either 105 (Exp. 1) or 112% (Exp. 2) of the raw product weight. Enhancement with 0.15 and 0.35% LAC did not (P > 0.05) affect postenhancement pH of DC strip loins when enhanced at a target of 105% (Exp. 1); however, postenhancement pH was reduced (P < 0.05) substantially by LAC enhancement at 115% of raw product weight, with pH values of DC sections enhanced with 0.50% LAC being similar (P > 0.05) to those of CH strip loin sections (Exp. 2). In Exp. 1, raw steaks from CH strip loins had greater (P < 0.05) a* and b* values as well as Japanese beef color scores compared with steaks from nonenhanced and LAC-enhanced DC strip loins across the first 3 d of simulated retail display (LAC enhancement × retail display duration; P < 0.01). Again in Exp. 2, raw steaks from CH sections had greater (P < 0.05) L*, a*, and b* values and Japanese color scores than did steaks from DC sections, regardless of LAC enhancement; however, mean Japanese color scores of CH steaks were only 0.7 and 0.4 units greater (P < 0.05) than the color scores of DC steaks enhanced with 0.35 and 0.50% LAC, respectively. In Exp. 1, CH steaks received the highest (P < 0.05) cooked color and degree of doneness scores, yet scores for CH steaks and steaks from DC sections enhanced with 0.50% LAC did not (P > 0.05) differ when cooked to 71°C in Exp. 2. Fresh and cooked color of DC beef was only minimally altered when enhanced with 0.35% LAC at 105% of the fresh product weight; however, when DC beef was enhanced with 0.35 and 0.50% LAC at a target of 112%, fresh and cooked color were improved close to that of CH beef. Because the persistent red or pink cooked color of DC was virtually eliminated by 0.50% LAC enhancement, LAC-enhanced DC beef may be suitable for food-service markets; however, the raw or fresh color results of Exp. 2 suggested that the fresh color of DC beef can be improved to the color of normal pH beef by postmortem acidification, leading to the possible recoupment of most, if not all, of the lost value associated with DC beef.

Cookery method and end-point temperature can affect the Warner-Bratzler shear force, cooking loss, and internal cooked color of beef longissimus steaks.

Steaks from 60 beef ribeye rolls were used to test the interactive effects of cookery method and end-point temperature on Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and internal cooked color. Pairs of longissimus thoracis (LT) steaks were assigned to combinations of 3 different end-point temperatures and 5 cookery methods. The forced-air convection oven (FAC) required the longest time and produced the reddest internal color, regardless of end-point temperature. The clam-shell grill (CLAM) required the least cooking time and resulted in the lowest cooking losses, but CLAM-cooked steaks also had the greatest WBSF values and least red internal color. Repeatability values for WBSF were acceptable (>0.60) for all degrees of doneness when steaks were cooked in the FAC and impingement oven, but steaks cooked on the CLAM were not repeatable. The relationship of myofibrillar toughening, moisture loss and cooked color changes in beef LT steaks also differed due to cookery methods.