DEVELOPMENT OF A BLUEPRINT FOR CONSUMER HANDLING OF BUFFALO MEAT FOR OPTIMUM QUALITY
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Date
2021-04-03
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COLLEGE OF VETERINARY & ANIMAL SCIENCES MANNUTHY, THRISSUR
Abstract
The current study was designed to develop a blueprint for consumer handling
of buffalo meat for optimum palatability attributes. The study involved a survey of
meat handling practices, standardization of optimum meat chunk dimension and
decontamination procedure, experiments on meat ageing, ageing and short-term
freezing and a brief freezing period followed by ageing, of buffalo meat that was
deboned after 0, 3, 6 and 9 h of ambient exposure. Majority of butchers in various
panchayats/rural in Thrissur district reported early slaughter (12 midnight-1 AM) of
animals, whereas slaughter occurred at around 5-6 AM in corporation/municipality
areas. The progression of rigor was more in meat samples collected from retail shops
which sourced the carcasses from unauthorized slaughter premises during pre monsoon and summer seasons. The buffalo meat chunks of 10×10×5 cm dimensions
eliminated the possible occurrence of cold shortening, when placed in domestic
refrigerator at 4±1°C immediately post-slaughter. The application of acetic acid as an
immersion at 2 per cent (v/v) level for 90 sec, resulted in significant reduction in the
total viable count (TVC) of the samples while maintaining desirable organoleptic
qualities. Samples deboned 9 h post-slaughter (D9) and then aged for 72 h at 4±1°C
had significantly (p<0.01) lower myofibril fragmentation index (MFI) and collagen
solubility (CS) compared to samples deboned at earlier periods. Total calpain activity
(CA) was significantly lower in D9 samples after 72 h of ageing. Only the aged
samples (without freezing) had significantly higher MFI, Warner-Bratzler shear force
(WBSF) and TVC as compared to the samples that were frozen before or after
ageing. Between samples frozen before or after ageing, there was no significant
difference in WBSF, CS and sensory overall acceptability scores. But samples frozen
for 7 d after ageing had significantly lower MFI, lower TVC and higher colour and
odour scores as compared to the samples frozen for 24 h prior to ageing. The protein
profile of drip fluid in the freezing-ageing experiment revealed significant increase in
the relative abundance of 167 kDa protein bands and significant decrease in 47 kDa
bands during the short-term freezing followed by ageing. The results of the study
reveal that, considering the early slaughter of animals, many retail shops are selling
buffalo meat that has been exposed to ambient temperature for more than 9 h. The
buffalo meat should be portioned to a minimum of 10×10×5 cm dimensions and
decontaminated by immersion in 2 per cent acetic acid for 90 sec. Freezing of buffalo
meat at -18±2 °C for 24 h followed by 72 h ageing at 4±1 °C in a domestic
refrigerator will substantially improve the organoleptic qualities of meat. If meat is
intended to be prepared and consumed after 10 d of purchase, 72 h ageing followed
by 7 d of freezing at -18±2 °C in the domestic freezer will be a better option for
improved palatability.
Description
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Department of Livestock Products Technology.