Spray chilling of deer carcasses—Effects on carcass weight, meat moisture content, purge and microbiological quality

• Published in: Meat science 2010-12, Vol.86 (4), p.926-930
• Main Authors: Wiklund, E., Kemp, R.M., leRoux, G.J., Li, Y., Wu, G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aerobic plate count; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Body Weight; Carcass chilling; Cold Temperature; Deer; Deer meat; Food industries; Food Microbiology; Food Preservation - methods; Food Technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Meat - analysis; Meat - microbiology; Meat and meat product industries; Muscle, Skeletal; Venison; Water - analysis; Water-holding capacity
• ISSN: 0309-1740; 1873-4138
• DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2010.07.018

Twenty red deer carcasses were included in the study. Two treatments were applied to the carcasses; control (air chilling) and spray chilling ( n = 10 for each treatment). Carcass weight and temperature change were registered during over-night chilling. Meat moisture content was measured in the shoulder, loin, flap and leg before and after the chilling treatments; purge, cooking loss and tenderness were measured in loin samples stored at −1.5 °C for 3 and 9 weeks. Microbiological status was assessed on swabs taken at the lumbar end of the loin before and after the chilling treatments. Spray chilling reduced carcass weight loss significantly; air chilled and spray chilled carcasses lost 1 kg and less than 0.01 kg, respectively. No effects of spray chilling on tenderness, purge and cooking loss were found. Bacterial levels were low in general even after 9 weeks of vacuum packaged chilled storage.