Effect of superchilled storage on shelf life and quality characteristics of M-longissimus lumborum from Chinese Yellow cattle

The effect of superchilled storage (SC, -4 degrees C) on shelf life and quality characteristics of M. longissimus lumborum from Chinese Yellow cattle compared with traditional chilling (TC, 2 degrees C) and frozen storage ( - 18 degrees C) was studied. The shelf life of beef steaks held at -4 degrees C extended to 12 weeks based on the total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) value, which was 2.4 times longer than steaks stored at 2 degrees C. As the storage time increased, SC samples showed a lower increase of the total aerobic count (TAC), pH and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values compared to TC samples. Further, L* and a* values of SC samples changed more slowly than that of TC samples. Beef steaks held frozen had a longer shelf life than SC steaks, however, the shear force of frozen steaks remained above 55 N throughout the storage time indicative of toughness. Consequently, SC offers an effective approach for maintaining better shelf life and quality of beef steaks.