Meta-analysis of the relationships between beef tenderness and muscle characteristics

Beef tenderness is characterised by a high and uncontrolled variability which depends, at least in part, on differences in muscle characteristics. The aim of this work was to identify general relationships between beef tenderness and muscle characteristics across experiments, using a large set of data available in the BIF-Beef (Integrated and Functional Biology of Beef) database. Tenderness was evaluated by sensory methods with trained panellists and by shear force measurements. Total and insoluble collagen contents, intramuscular fat content (IMF), mean cross sectional fibre area, isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities and the proportion of slow oxidative (SO), fast oxido-glycolytic (FOG) and fast glycolytic (FG) muscle fibres were measured in both Longissimus thoracis (LT) and Semitendinosus (ST) muscles. Total collagen content, IMF content, mean muscle fibre area, LDH and ICDH activities explained respectively, 2%, 03%, 1.8%, 1.6% and 1.7% maximum of the variability (,2) in the sensory tenderness score. The total and insoluble collagen contents, the LDH activity and the FG proportion explained, respectively, 6%, 6%, 4% and 5% of the variability in the shear force, essentially in the ST muscle but not in LT muscle. The relationships between different muscle characteristics were confirmed. It was demonstrated that the determinism of tenderness was complex and mainly muscle dependant. The large data set used allowed the statement of general laws and contributed to explain the divergent results in the literature from smaller sets of data originating from specific experiments. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.