Time-intensity as a tool for the measurement of meat tenderness

In the texture analysis of meat, tenderness is an attribute that changes over time from the initial bite to the residual phase before swallowing. In this study, continuous time-intensity measurements were recorded on a line scale and compared to a single time-averaged measurement. Thirty gluteobiceps gilt roasts representing two breeds and cooked at three oven temperatures were evaluated by eight trained assessors. Cores, taken both perpendicular and parallel to the muscle fibre, and slices were sampled from each roast. Assessors recorded their perception of tenderness continuously from initial bite to swallowing by moving a cursor on a computer screen (time-intensity) and over a chew count of eight (time-averaged), Results based on parameters summarizing the time-intensity curves were comparable to those of the time-averaged data. The time-intensity curves clearly illustrated the temporal features of the perception of tenderness. Crown copyright (C) 1996 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd