Meat quality traits of longissimus thoracis, semitendinosus and triceps brachii muscles from Chianina beef cattle slaughtered at two different ages

The aim of this experiment was to study the effects of muscle and slaughtering age on some meat quality traits of forty-eight carcasses of Chianina beef cattle raised on the same farm and slaughtered at an age ranging between 18 and 21 months. After the usual commercial ageing period for Chianina carcasses, longissimus thoracis, semitendinosus and triceps brachii muscles were taken and analyzed instrumentally for pH, meat color, water holding capacity, tenderness and chemical composition. To compare the quality characteristics of the three muscles at different age, all data were subdivided in two groups: slaughtering age 18-19 months (n=25) and 20-21 months (n=23). Quality characteristics of meat derived from the three muscles analyzed were different: semitendinosus muscle showed higher values of Lightness (L*) and Hue (H*), thus lighter and paler meat, but was less tender and had a higher cooking loss. Meat derived from triceps brachii muscle had the lowest values of Lightness (L*) and Hue (H*) thus meat slightly darker; with regard to the other quality parameters, longissimus thoracis gave more tender meat with better water holding capacity than triceps brachii. The meat analyzed had a very low content of intramuscular fat (expressed as ether extract (%)), a very well-known characteristic of Chianina meat. The comparison between meat derived from 18-19 month old beef and from 20-21 month old beef shows that only redness (a*) and Chroma (C*) increased significantly with the increase in slaughtering age, but these results do not induce differences in meat color appreciation, as shown by the similar values of Lightness (L*) and Hue (H*). Water holding capacity, tenderness and chemical composition were not influenced by slaughtering age.