Investigations about the prediction of beef tenderness

The study deals with the prediction of the tenderness. The relation between the Warner-Bratzler shear force values 2 days p. m. and after 14 days ageing was examined. There were investigated 101 young bulls with an average slaughter weight of 392 kg. The samples were graded by shear-force values measured 2 days after slaughtering into the starting shear-force classes "low" (< 90 N), "middle" (90 to 110 N) and "high" (> 110 N). Their assignment to quality classes after 14 days ageing showed, that samples, at which already 2 days after the slaughtering low shear-force values were determined, were classified to nearly 90 % also into the good tenderness (< 40 N) class. Accordingly, samples with high shear-force values after 2 days were classified also after 14 days ageing up to 86 % as tough. The near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR), running parallel to the conventional shear-force measurement as online measuring technology at intact fresh steaks 2 days p. m., resulted in a close relationship (r = 0.85) to the aged steaks. The first results with the non invasive online fast analysis appear to make possible an estimate of the tenderness of beef steaks already at quartering the carcasses without reduction of the value of the carcass.