DRY-AGED BEEF: COLOR PARAMETERS AND SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS

Research work involves the instrumental analysis of the change in color (L*, a*, b*) and the sensory characteristics of the Simmental beef, parts of the carcass: T-bons, received from the local farm, during the dry-aging period for 0, 14, 21, 28, 35 days and for the roasted aged beef at high and very high temperatures. The analyzed beef samples presented uniform results for the chromatic parameters during the dry-aging period, being influenced by the values of meat pH and the water-holding capacity, namely: for the dry-aged meat, the L* parameter values indicate an increase in the brightness of the meat, for the a* parameter, decreasing values were established, which indicates a reduction in the oxygenation of the meat, a reduction of oxymyoglobin in meat, responsible for the intense red color and for the b* coordinate a slight decrease in values was observed, oriented to yellow color. For roasted beef parameter L* decreases due to the reduction of the beef moisture during the roasting process. The redness of beef a* decreases in intensity primarily depending on the beef aging period but also with the increase in the roasting temperature, due to the drastic degradation of myoglobin. The b* parameter also decreases, possibly due to the increase in metmyoglobin content during heat treatment. The sensory characteristics of the dry aged beef have been considerably improved due to the increase in the pH of the meat, which attracts the activation of meat-specific enzymes that contribute to the accumulation of secondary compounds with a major impact on the beef taste, aroma and juiciness. These aspects are later reflected on the sensory properties of the roasted aged beef, being intensified by the heat treatment process.