Frozen storage stability of vacuum-packaged precooked restructured steaks manufactured from mature cow beef

Beef trimmings from nine cows, equally representing three animal age groups (2-4, 6-8, and 10-12 year), were restructured into steaks formulated with propyl gallate, alone or in combination with a beefy flavoring agent, to enhance palatability and storage stability. Steaks were fully cooked prior to being stored under vacuum for 6 months at -29 degrees C. Animal age did not affect steak quality and lipid stability, whereas sensory palatability scores and reheating yield decreased significantly beyond 3 months. Propyl gallate did not impart any additional protection against lipid oxidation beyond that provided by vacuum packaging. On the other hand, inclusion of beefy flavoring agent masked all mature, forage-fed beef off-flavors, intensified beefy flavor and improved steak tenderness, juiciness and reheating yield. The incorporation of a beefy flavoring agent was shown to be an effective means to enhance the palatability of vacuum packaged precooked steaks manufactured from mature cows. (C) 2007 Swiss Society of Food Science and Technology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.