Effects of ultrasound and convection cooking to different end point temperatures on cooking characteristics, shear force and sensory properties, composition, and microscopic morphology of beef longissimus and pectoralis muscles

• Published in: Journal of animal science 1997-02, Vol.75 (2), p.386-401
• Main Authors: Pohlman, F.W. (Westreco, Inc., St. Joseph, MO.), Dikeman, M.E, Zayas, J.F, Unruh, J.A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; APPETABILITE; Biological and medical sciences; CARNE DE RES; Cattle; COCCION; COLAGENOS; Collagen - analysis; Collagen - ultrastructure; COLLAGENE; CONSOMMATION D'ENERGIE; CONSUMO DE ENERGIA; Convection; Cooking; Cooking - methods; CUISSON; DURACION; DUREE; Food industries; Food Technology - methods; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Male; Meat; Meat and meat product industries; MICROSCOPIA; MICROSCOPIE; MUSCLE; Muscle, Skeletal - chemistry; Muscle, Skeletal - ultrastructure; MUSCULOS; PALATABILIDAD; PIECE DE VIANDE; PIEZAS DE CARNE; RESISTANCE MECANIQUE; RESISTENCIA MECANICA; SOLUBILIDAD; SOLUBILITE; TEMPERATURA; TEMPERATURE; Time Factors; ULTRASON; ULTRASONIDO; Ultrasonography; VIANDE BOVINE
• ISSN: 0021-8812; 1525-3163; 0021-8812
• DOI: 10.2527/1997.752386x

Longissimus and pectoralis muscles were removed from 10 steer carcasses at 4 d postmortem, aged for 14 d at 2 degrees C, then assigned to either ultrasound or convection cooking to either 62 degrees C or 70 degrees C internal end point temperature. During cooking, time-temperature profiles and energy consumption were monitored. Ultrasound cooking resulted in greater (P -.05) cooking speed, greater (P -.05) moisture retention and less (P -.05) cooking loss, greater (P -.05) efficiency of energy consumption, a more uniform cooking environment, and less (P .05) instrumental peak-force work to shear muscle samples than convection cooking. The ultrasound treatment also resulted in a reduction (P -.05) in soluble collagen content and superior (P -.05) myofibrillar tenderness, as determined by a trained sensory panel, than convection cooking. Electron micrographs indicated that ultrasound-cooked muscles had longer sarcomeres, larger diameter fibers, and more myofibrillar disruption and shattering. Longissimus muscles cooked faster (P -.05) and more (P -.05) energetically efficient, had less (P -.05) total collagen, and were superior (P -.05) in instrumental evaluated texture and sensory tenderness than pectoralis muscles. Cooking to 70 degrees C caused greater (P -.05) moisture and cooking losses, required more (P -.05) time and energy input to cook, and negatively (P -.05) affected instrumental textural and sensor tenderness characteristics. Electron micrographs indicated a shortening of sarcomeres, more deterioration of the banding structure, reduction in fiber diameter and breakdown of endomysial and perimysial connective tissue at an internal temperature of 70 degrees C vs 62 degrees. This research identifies ultrasound cooking as a new, rapid, energy-efficient method that may improve some meat textural attributes