BEEF QUALITY AND PALATABILITY AS AFFECTED BY ELECTRICAL-STIMULATION AND COOLER AGING

Fifty light‐weight heifers were slaughtered and selected sides were electrically stimulated with 50 impulses of 1.0 set duration (machine setting = 100 volts, 5 amps, 50–60 cycles per set: producing a 440 volt potential difference between electrodes). Treatment groups consisted of certain combinations of electrical stimulation (ES) and/or paired control (C) sides stored for 7 or 21 days postmortem. In the treatments involving ES vs C, ES had a significant effect on lean maturity and overall maturity (more youthful) and in one group resulted in higher marbling and final USDA quality grade than the C sides. Lean color was significantly improved and incidence of “heat‐ring” was reduced by the ES treatment. Significant decreases in shear force were observed for 21 day ES vs 21 day C; 21 day C vs 7 day C and 7 day ES vs 21 day C. These data suggest that electrical stimulation could be utilized to improve certain quality‐indicating characteristics and allow carcasses to be graded sooner than normally processed carcasses. In addition, the ES treatment could substantially reduce the time of cooler aging needed to assure optimum tenderness. Copyright © 1978, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved