Effect of Different Temperature and Time Combinations on Quality Characteristics of Sous-vide Cooked Goat Gluteus Medius and Biceps Femoris

The combination of proper temperature and time duration in sous-vide cooking could provide good water-holding capacity, color parameters, and tender cooked meat. In this study, goat muscles gluteus medius (GM) and biceps femoris (BF) treated with single-stage sous-vide (cooked at 60 °C, 65 °C, 70 °C) and two-stage sous-vide (cooked at 45 and 60 °C, 45 and 65 °C, 45 and 70 °C) methods for 6 h and 12 h were compared. Cooking loss decreased by 5–10% for GM and 10–13% for BF after 6 h of heat treatment with two-stage sous-vide likely due to high sarcoplasmic solubility. Cooking time and temperature combination in two-stage sous-vide contributed to better a* values for both GM and BF, with higher values recorded for 6 h at 45 and 60 °C. Significant reduction of toughness was successfully achieved using stepped cooking temperatures compared with sous-vide cooking at a single temperature. The lowest shear force values were achieved at a combined temperature of 45 and 60 °C with only 6 h of cooking duration (GM 28 N; BF 40 N) likely from desmin degradation. However, the tenderness effect of single-stage sous-vide was seen after collagen solubility was maximized in prolonged cooking at 70 °C, but other quality features such as redness values and water content had recorded the lowest values.