MYOFIBRIL FRAGMENTATION INDEX AS AN IMMEDIATE POSTMORTEM PREDICTOR OF BUFFALO MEAT TENDERNESS

A study was undertaken to compare and correlate the myofibril fragmentation index (MFI) of fresh buffalo longissimus steaks with Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and the subjective measurement of overall tenderness to suggest the suitability of MFI as a predictor of cooked buffalo meat tenderness. The study revealed a significant positive correlation (P < 0.01) between MFI and WBSF from day 1 to 8. The mean correlation coefficients (r(2)) of overall tenderness with MFI and WBSF were 0.61 and 0.73, respectively. This indicates that MFI could be used as an objective method of evaluation of tenderness of buffalo meat as it is strongly correlated with the overall tenderness and WBSF. Therefore, MFI of raw aged buffalo longissimus steaks can be used as a predictor of cooked buffalo meat tenderness enabling selection of tender meat for retail sale and processing. Furthermore, the results imply that significant tenderization occurs during the first 24 h postmortem.