Evaluation of Beef Retail Shelf-Life Following Extended Storage at Low Temperature

The storage of meat at temperatures below regular chilling can extend the storage shelf-life of fresh beef. However, the retail shelf-life of beef after extended storage has not been thoroughly investigated. This study evaluated the retail shelf-life of steaks derived from 10 upper two-thirds Choice beef inside rounds, bone-in ribeyes, and striploins that had been stored at low temperature (LT; -2.7 +/- 0.3 degrees C) for different periods of time. The subprimals were fabricated into 3 pieces, vacuum packaged, and randomly allocated to an LT storage time of 60, 75, and 90 d. After each storage time, subprimal portions were fabricated into steaks, overwrapped, and placed in a retail display case (3 degrees C) for 7 d. Steaks were evaluated daily for instrumental and visual color and microbial levels (aerobic plate counts [APC], lactic acid bacteria counts, and Pseudomonas spp. counts) on days 0, 2, 4, and 7. For all subprimals, the initial redness (a* values) of LT75 and LT90 steaks was greater (P < 0.05) than that of LT60 steaks. In general, irrespective of LT storage time or retail display day, visual panelists did not detect differences in lean color and discoloration of steaks. For all subprimals, the APC of LT60 steaks on days 0, 2, and 4 of the retail display were lower (P < 0.05) than those of LT75 and LT90 samples. Samples from LT60 presented a longer microbial retail shelf-life than those from LT75 and LT90 due to lower initial microbial loads following LT storage. However, the retail shelf-life of samples from LT75 and LT90 was similar. Overall, these results demonstrated the impact of LT60, LT75, and LT90 on the retail shelf-life of different beef subprimals.