Biomechanical properties of meat and their correlation to tenderness
Academic Article
Overview
Identity
Additional Document Info
Other
View All
Overview
abstract
A biomechanical study was conducted to characterize mechanical properties of post rigor bovine m. longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscles. Linear viscoelastic properties were measured using a standard stress-relaxation technique at 3% strain. A boundary value problem that partially mimicked a simplified model of a first chew cycle of the human masticatory process was solved, and stiffness and total energy dissipated were calculated and correlated to tenderness traits, as evaluated by a descriptive attribute sensory panel. Stiffness and total energy dissipated were highly correlated to overall tenderness (R = 0.86 and R = 0.91), and a model to predict tenderness using total energy dissipated was successfully developed.