ABSTRACT - The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of postmortem calcium chloride (CaCl2) injection and aging time on tenderness and cooking losses of Longissimus dorsi muscle from Bos indicus and Bos taurus animals selected for weight gain. Sixty-four young bulls (16 Caracu, 16 Guzera, 16 Nellore Control and 16 Nellore Selection) were used. Twenty four hours after slaughter a sample from Longissimus dorsi muscle, taken between the 6th and 9th lumbar vertebrae was removed and divided into nine sub-samples. In each sub-samples, randomly selected, an amount correspondent to 10% of sub-sample weight was injected, with one of the following solutions: a) water (control), b) 200 mM CaCl2 or c) 300 mM CaCl2. Each sub-sample was then vacuum-wrapped, cooled to - 2ºC and aged for 1, 7 or 14 days until the realization of the shear force and cooking losses (evaporation, drip, and total losses) tests. A completely randomized design with a split-plot arrangement, where breeds corresponded to a whole plots and the combinations among three levels of CaCl2 and three aging times as split-plots, was used. The breed affected the shear force, but did not affected the cooking losses. Higher CaCl2 concentrations resulted on the lowest shear force values and greater evaporation losses although it did not affect either dripping or total losses. The 200 mM CaCl2 concentration showed the best reduction in the shear force. The postmortem injection with CaCl2 hasten the tenderness process without affecting the cooking losses.
meat tenderness; calcium chloride; Bos indicus; Bos taurus; shear force; injection; Longissimus dorsi
