Effect of aging on the characteristics of meat from water buffalo grown in the Delta del Paraná region of Argentina.

Fifteen crossbreed water buffalos were selected from a farm in Delta del Paraná, Entre Ríos Province, Argentina. Animals were castrated males 20-24 months old reaching final live weights of 400-420kg. They were predominantly of Mediterranean and Murrah breeds and were feed in naturally grown pastures. Tenderness and chewiness increased with postmortem aging (p<0.05). Aging did not affect flavour and odour scores, even though certain off-flavours and off-odours were reported. Changes in colour with aging were similar to those seen in beef.