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Meat Science 69 (2005) 681–689

MEATSCIENCE

Chemical, physical and sensory properties of meat from pureand crossbred Podolian bulls at different ageing times

A. Braghieri, G.F. Cifuni, A. Girolami, A.M. Riviezzi, I. Marsico, F. Napolitano *

Dipartimento di Scienze delle Produzioni Animali, Universita degli Studi della Basilicata, Via dell�Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy

Received 2 August 2004; received in revised form 24 October 2004; accepted 29 October 2004

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of crossbreeding with Limousine sires on fatty acid profile, physical and sen-

sory properties of meat produced by Podolian young bulls. Polyunsaturated fatty acid content was influenced by crossbreeding

(P < 0.01) with Podolian bulls (P) producing beef characterised by a higher level of unsaturation in comparison with crossbred

animals (LP). As a consequence, P/S ratio was significantly higher in meat produced by P animals than LP (P < 0.01). P animals

had higher linoleic (P < 0.05), linolenic (P < 0.05), EPA (P < 0.05) and DHA acids (P < 0.001) levels than LP subjects. No breed

effect was observed for the ratio n � 6/n � 3 (P > 0.05). WBS force of LD was significantly lower in meat from crossbred subjects

(P < 0.05). Both crossbreeding with Limousine and extension of ageing from 2 to 7 days improved LD tenderness as assessed by

panel taste (P < 0.001).

� 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Podolian cattle; Crossbreeding; Ageing; Fatty acid composition; Tenderness

1. Introduction

Meat produced by cattle are usually characterised by

a low polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acid (P:S) ratiodue to the massive hydrogenating action performed by

rumen micro-organisms on dietary fatty acids. However,

these products often show a beneficially balanced n � 6/

n � 3 ratio, which is particularly low when animals are

fed on grass based diets (Enser et al., 1998). Neverthe-

less, in addition to other factors (diet, sex, age, etc.),

the effect of breed on adipose tissue and muscle fatty

acid composition may be relevant. Numerous studieshave reported that sire breed can affect meat fatty acid

profile (Xie, Bushboom, Gaskins et al., 1996; Zembay-

0309-1740/$ - see front matter � 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

doi:10.1016/j.meatsci.2004.10.019

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +39 0971 205078; fax: +39 0971

205099.

E-mail address: napolitano@unibas.it (F. Napolitano).

ashi & Nishimura, 1996; Zembayashi, Nishimura, Lunt,

& Smith, 1995). Because of the low fat content of mus-

cles, lean breeds can have a different fatty acid profile

compared with meat from other breeds. In cattle, poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are preferentially

deposited in phospholipids. As a consequence, lean

breeds tend to have a higher proportion of PUFA as

compared to fatter cattle breeds, whereas in these latter

genotypes muscles have a higher incidence of neutral

triacylglycerols (De Smet, Webb, Claeys, Uytterhaegen,

& Demeyer, 2000). The lower fat content of muscles of

lean breeds can also account for the higher ratio n � 6/n � 3 due to the greater proportion of phospholipids ob-

served in these animals. Phospholipids display lower lev-

els of linolenic and higher contents of linoleic and

arachidonic fatty acids than triacylglycerols (Bas & Sau-

vant, 2001), which in turn increase in proportion as total

lipids increase (Marmer, Maxwell, & Williams, 1984).

Previous studies reported that both double muscled

682 A. Braghieri et al. / Meat Science 69 (2005) 681–689

(De Smet et al., 2000) and Podolian cattle (Cifuni,

Napolitano, Riviezzi, Braghieri, & Girolami, 2004),

which are genetically lean breeds, show a high P:S ratio

and a correspondingly higher proportion of polar lipid

containing high levels of linoleic and arachidonic fatty

acids of the n � 6 series.The perceived healthiness of a food is of great impor-

tance for consumer preference with many consumers

concerned about the contribution of beef to their total

intake of saturated fatty acids, which have been impli-

cated in diseases associated with modern life such as cor-

onary heart disease and cancer. Consumers with a

positive perception of the product show a higher level

of acceptability for that product (Bello Acebron & Cal-vo Dopico, 2000). According to Resurreccion (2003), for

USA consumers the most important quality aspects of

beef are those in relation to healthiness (cholesterol, cal-

orie and artificial ingredient contents, etc.), whereas in

Europe consumers are also interested in other aspects

concerning the sensory properties of the product (taste,

tenderness, juiciness, etc.).

Previous studies on meat acceptability reported thatconsumers consider tenderness as the attribute most

desired when eating at the home or in the restaurant

(Huffman et al., 1996). One of the main concerns of

retailers and restaurateurs is also tenderness (Smith

et al., 1992). There are a number of factors that influ-

ence tenderness of meat, although ageing, marbling,

connective tissue content and muscle contraction can

be considered the four main aspects to be taken intoaccount.

Podolian cattle are bred using a traditional farming

system (Napolitano, Braghieri, Brancieri, Pacelli, &

Girolami, 2002) based on animals grazing green for-

ages directly from pasture at least for the first growing

period (0–10 months). Their physical activity along

with the leanness of the breed can account for the

low tenderness, which often characterises their meatand may give rise to reduced acceptability of the prod-

uct (Cifuni et al., 2004).

Previous studies focussed on fatty acid composition,

cholesterol content and sensory properties of meat pro-

duced by Podolian cattle (Cifuni, Napolitano, Pacelli,

Riviezzi, & Girolami, 2000; Cifuni et al., 2004). How-

ever, meat quality may be improved by crossbreeding

Podolian cattle with other breeds such as Limousine cat-tle (Wulf et al., 1996). Thus, crossbreeding may allow

preservation of Podolian cattle and improve some key

quality characteristics of the meat (i.e., nutritional and

sensory properties).

The present study was aimed to investigate the effect

of crossbreeding with Limousine sires on the fatty acid

profile, cholesterol and malondialdehyde contents, phys-

ical and sensory properties of meat produced by Podo-lian young bulls. The influence of ageing on meat

tenderness was also evaluated.

2. Materials and methods

2.1. Experimental design

Eight Podolian (P) and eight Limousine · Podolian

crossbred young bulls (LP) were used. Animals werereared according to the traditional local practices,

namely dam-reared to the age of natural weaning (8–9

months of age) on natural pasture of Basilicata (South-

ern Italy) where no feeding supplementation was offered

and, subsequently, moved to a straw bedded barn pro-

vided with an ample outdoor paddock. In this fattening

period the experimental subjects received a diet based on

straw offered ad libitum, 0.5 kg/100 kg LW of field beans(8%), soy (20%), corn (35%) and barley + wheat (37%)

flour and 0.5 kg/100 kg LW of a commercial pellet for

fattening cattle (14% CP). All the animals were slaugh-

tered at 18 months of age. Final live weights were ob-

tained immediately before slaughter. After removal of

skin and internal organs, carcasses were dissected into

two sides. Right and left sides from each carcass were

aged at 4 �C for 2 and 7 days post-mortem, respectively.Subsequently, sides were divided into quarters, quarters

were dissected into commercial cuts and the Longissimus

dorsi (LD) and Semimembranosus (SM) removed.

2.2. Fatty acid, cholesterol and MDA determination

Analyses for cholesterol and fatty acid contents were

performed only on samples from LD aged for 2 days.Malondialdehyde (MDA) content was determined on

LD and SM at 2 and 7 days of ageing.

Lipid was extracted according to the method of Folch,

Lees, and Stanley (1957). Gas chromatograph analysis

was performed on a Varian model Star 3400 CX instru-

ment equipped with a CP 88 capillar column, as described

by Cifuni et al. (2004). The individual fatty acid peaks

were identified by comparison of retention times withthose of known mixtures of standard fatty acids (FAME,

Sigma) rununder the sameoperating conditions.Fattyacids

were expressed as percent of total methylated fatty acids.

The determination of cholesterol was performed

using the method of Ulberth and Reich (1992). This

method involves direct saponification of the samples,

extraction of the unsaponifiable compounds with cyclo-

hexane and a subsequent enzymatic assay (Kit no.139050, Boehringer Mannheim Gmbh). The content of

cholesterol was expressed as mg/100 g of meat.

The TBA test was performed as described by Salih,

Smith, Price, and Dawson (1987). Lipid oxidation was

expressed as mg MDA/kg of meat.

2.3. Physical and sensory analyses

pH was measured at 1, 24 and 48 h post-mortem on

SM and LD (lumbar region) with a portable pH meter

A. Braghieri et al. / Meat Science 69 (2005) 681–689 683

(Hanna HI 9025), equipped with a penetrating glass

electrode.

Warner–Bratzler shear force was measured on SM

and LD cores sheared by an Instron Universal testing

machine equipped with a Warner–Bratzler shearing de-

vice at 2 and 7 days of ageing. Two 1.27 cm wide coreswere removed parallel to the muscle fibre and placed as

raw samples in the Warner–Bratzler Shear attachment,

which was attached to the model 1140 Instron texture

machine. Shear force was perpendicular to the direction

of the fibres and the force required to shear was re-

corded in kg. For each sample one mean value was cal-

culated and used for statistical analysis.

The LD muscle was also employed for sensory evalu-ation. One cm deep steaks were grilled to an internal

temperature of 75 �C, assessed using a thermocouple

probe inserted into the meat. Subsequently, 2 · 2 · 1

cm samples were cut from the muscles and offered to

the panellists. Products were rated on predetermined

scales by a panel of eight members previously selected

for their flavour and texture sensitivity. Six preliminary

sessions were used to develop attributes (flavour andtenderness) and train assessors for attribute intensity

evaluation (Napolitano et al., 2001). For each session

assessors were offered meat samples from the animals

in the experiment. After a further training for scale use

(Stone & Sidel, 1985) attributes were rated on the basis

of 10 cm unstructured lines with anchor points at each

end (0: absent and 10: very strong, therefore, higher

scores corresponded to more tender products). Scoreswere the distances (mm) from the left anchor-point.

The main trial consisted of four sessions. In each session

four samples (two for each group) were assessed with the

same frequency in each position in order to minimise the

effect of order of presentation (MacFie, Bratchell,

Greenhoff, & Vallis, 1989). Distractions to panellists

were reduced by using booths, which were illuminated

with red light to minimise bias due to possible colourdifferences.

2.4. Statistical analyses

Data were analysed with SAS statistical package

(SAS, 1990). The animal was used as the experimental

unit. Carcass traits, fatty acid profile and cholesterol

content were subjected to analysis of variance with onefactor (genotype). MDA was subjected to analysis of

variance for repeated measures with genotype as non re-

peated factor and muscle, ageing and the interactions

(first and second order) as repeated factors. pH values

were analysed using ANOVA for repeated measures

with genotype as a between-animal factor and time

(post-mortem h), muscle and the interactions (first and

second order) as within-animal factors. WBS data weresubjected to ANOVA for repeated measures with geno-

type as non-repeated factor and ageing time, muscle and

the interactions (first and second order) as repeated fac-

tors. Sensory values were normalised standardising each

assessor by his standard deviation in order to reduce the

effect of the different use of the scale (Naes, 1991). Anal-

ysis of variance with genotype (non repeated factor),

ageing and interaction (repeated factors) as the main ef-fects was performed on normalised mean values of ten-

derness and flavour intensity.

3. Results and discussion

3.1. Carcass traits

Carcass traits are displayed in Table 1. LP showed

higher live pre-slaughter and carcass weights than P

(P < 0.01). However, carcasses of both groups P and

LP were scored as 3 for fatness (corresponding to aver-

age fatness: within the thoracic cavity the muscle is

clearly visible between the ribs) and R for muscular con-

formation (well-developed topside, slightly rounded

rump, good back and fairly well developed shoulder)using the Community scale for the classification of car-

casses of adult bovine animals (SEUROP). In addition,

carcass yields were not significantly different between

groups. Values of carcass yield similar to those obtained

in the present study were found by Napolitano et al.

(2001) in Podolian young bulls of the same age.

Group P produced carcasses with a higher percent

hindquarter than LP (P < 0.001). A fast growth of theforequarters has been observed in Limousine cattle by

Robelin and Geay (1976) and Robelin, Geay, and Be-

ranger (1977). The differential growth observed in the

two genotypes (P and LP) may also explain the results

obtained for the commercial cuts: LP displayed higher

percentages of shoulder (P < 0.001) and chuck

(P < 0.01), whereas tenderloin + striploin (P < 0.10),

top side (P < 0.001) and rump cap (P < 0.05) were high-er in carcasses of P animals. No differeces between geno-

types were observed for rib-eye, rump, top beef and eye

of round (P > 0.05).

3.2. Fatty acid, cholesterol and MDA contents

Fatty acid profile of LD is depicted in Table 2. The

amounts of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acidswere not affected by genotype (P > 0.05). Both geno-

types showed high and similar levels of the saturated

stearic and monounsaturated oleic acids, which ac-

counted for over 50% of the total fatty acids. Similar

values were obtained in a previous work conducted on

Podolian beef by Cifuni et al. (2004). The stearic acid

can be easily desaturated to oleic, which in turn is con-

sidered hypolipidemic, reducing both plasma triglycer-ides and LDL-cholesterol, whereas HDL-cholesterol is

unaffected (Mattson & Grundy, 1985). Thus both acids

Table 1

Effect of genotype on pre-slaughter weight and carcass traits (means ± S.E.)

P LP Significance

Pre-slaughter weight (kg) 458.12 ± 7.82 505.00 ± 7.82 P < 0.01

Carcass weight (kg) 252.14 ± 6.41 282.76 ± 6.00 P < 0.01

Carcass yield (%) 54.86 ± 0.79 56.00 ± 0.74 NS

Forequarter (%) 47.77 ± 0.47 51.76 ± 0.44 P < 0.001

Hindquarter (%) 52.23 ± 0.48 47.36 ± 0.45 P < 0.001

Rib-eye (%) 9.21 ± 0.19 9.01 ± 0.18 NS

Chuck (%) 8.48 ± 0.39 10.42 ± 0.36 P < 0.01

Shoulder (%) 7.13 ± 0.32 9.13 ± 0.30 P < 0.001

Rump (%) 3.97 ± 0.13 4.33 ± 0.12 NS

Top beef (%) 5.91 ± 0.09 5.95 ± 0.08 NS

Rump cap (%) 7.31 ± 0.34 6.18 ± 0.31 P < 0.05

Tender loin + strip loin (%) 8.84 ± 0.22 8.21 ± 0.21 P < 0.10

Top side (%) 7.36 ± 0.14 6.52 ± 0.13 P < 0.001

Eye of round (%) 1.96 ± 0.08 1.88 ± 0.08 NS

First grade cuts (%) 52.32 ± 0.46 53.62 ± 0.43 P < 0.10

Second grade cuts (%) 33.15 ± 0.62 33.10 ± 0.58 NS

684 A. Braghieri et al. / Meat Science 69 (2005) 681–689

can be considered desirable components of the human

diet. The hyperlipidemic saturated palmitic fatty acid

C16:0 content was lower in meat produced by Podolian

cattle (P < 0.05), whereas a higher proportion of behenic

acid C22:0 was observed in the beef of purebred animals

(P < 0.05). The former is implicated in the development

of heart diseases (Bonamone & Grundy, 1988), whereas

the latter is generally regarded as safe and usually addedto oil to enable the production of semi-solid and solid

fats such as margarine.

Polyunsaturated fatty acid content was influenced by

crossbreeding (P < 0.01) with Podolian bulls producing

beef characterised by a higher level of unsaturation in

comparison with LP animals. As a consequence, P/S ra-

tio was significantly higher in meat produced by P ani-

mals than LP (P < 0.01). P/S is regarded as importantin relation to the nutritional value of foods for human

health. In the human diet, the recommended value for

P/S ratio is 0.45–0.65 (Department of Health & Social

Security, 1984) and lower ratios in the diet as a whole

may increase the incidence of cardiovascular disease.

The P/S ratio in ruminant meat is unfavourably low be-

cause dietary unsaturated fatty acids are hydrogenated

by rumen micro-organisms (Choi, Enser, Wood, & Sco-llan, 2000). Nevertheless, high P/S ratios were detected

in this trial as a consequence of the high percentages

of PUFA. This variable can be affected by the diet,

breed and type of finishing of the animals. Dietary ef-

fects on fatty acid profile of meat have been observed

by different authors (Aharoni et al., 1995; French et

al., 2000) and lipid composition tends to reflect the fatty

acid composition of the diet. However, fat content andnot diet is the primary factor leading to the variations

in P/S, therefore breed type is one of the main factors

affecting fatty acid composition, because fat deposition

differs between breeds. In lean breeds, such as the Pod-

olian, a reduced deposition of triacylglycerol fatty acids

increases the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids

which are at higher concentrations in membrane phos-

pholipids (De Smet et al., 2000). In crossbred LP sub-

jects, the proportion of membrane phospholipids may

be lower thus lowering the P/S ratio. Our results are in

agreement with those previously reported by Carnovale

and Nicoli (2000) and Cifuni et al. (2004).

Similar considerations also apply for the fatty acidsof n � 6 and n � 3 series with the meat of lean animals

characterised by high n � 6 contents (Bas & Sauvant,

2001). In the present study, although P animals had

higher linoleic acid C18:2 n � 6 levels in the meat than

LP subjects (P < 0.05), no breed effect was observed

for the ratio n � 6/n � 3 (P > 0.05), which exceeded

the recommended values for human nutrition (10:1;

Commission of European Communities, 1993) in bothgenotypes. This latter result may be attributed to the

fact that Podolian bulls showed higher levels of linolenic

C18:3 n � 3 (P < 0.05), EPA C20:5 n � 3 (P < 0.01) and

DHA C22:6 n � 3 acids (P < 0.001) than crossbred ani-

mals. Similarly, Choi et al. (2000) found higher levels of

both n � 3 and n �;6 fatty acids in both neutral and

phospholipid fractions of the leaner beef breed Welsh

Black compared to the dairy breed Holstein Friesian.No differences between P and LP animals were ob-

served in the content of iso and anteiso methyl branched

fatty acids or for trans fatty acids (P > 0.05).

Table 2 shows that intramuscular fat was unaffected

by breed-type (P > 0.05), whereas cholesterol content

was higher in Podolian beef than LP (P < 0.01).

Although in previous studies cholesterol content was

resistant to breed effect (Eichhorn et al., 1986; Wheeler,Davis, Stoecker, & Harmon, 1987 in Rule, MacNeil, &

Short, 1997), Rule et al. (1997) observed a higher choles-

terol level in the ground carcasses of steer calves pro-

duced by crossbred cows sired by Hereford bulls

(moderate growth potential) than Charolais bulls (high

Table 2

Effect of genotype on fatty acid composition (%), intramuscular fat (g/100 g) and cholesterol (mg/100 g) contents of LD muscle (means ± S.E.)

Genotype Significance

P LP

C10:0 0.03 ± 0.01 0.03 ± 0.01 NS

C12:0 0.05 ± 0.01 0.05 ± 0.01 NS

C14:0 1.73 ± 0.09 1.92 ± 0.09 NS

C14:1 trans 0.16 ± 0.01 0.18 ± 0.01 NS

C14:1 cis 0.32 ± 0.03 0.36 ± 0.02 NS

C15:0 anteiso 0.21 ± 0.01 0.22 ± 0.01 NS

C15:0 0.36 ± 0.02 0.38 ± 0.01 NS

C16:0 iso 0.20 ± 0.02 0.23 ± 0.02 NS

C16:0 22.26 ± 0.47 23.63 ± 0.44 P < 0.05

C16:1 trans 0.26 ± 0.10 0.38 ± 0.10 NS

C16:1 cis 0.38 ± 0.03 0.43 ± 0.03 NS

C17:0 anteiso 2.51 ± 0.16 2.36 ± 0.15 NS

C17:0 iso 0.91 ± 0.03 0.92 ± 0.03 NS

C17:1 0.12 ± 0.01 0.13 ± 0.01 NS

C18:0 iso 0.52 ± 0.02 0.48 ± 0.02 NS

C18:0 17.93 ± 0.63 17.68 ± 0.59 NS

C18:1 trans 2.00 ± 0.21 1.64 ± 0.20 NS

C18:1 cis 32.75 ± 0.74 33.00 ± 0.69 NS

C18:1 n � 7 0.58 ± 0.17 0.84 ± 0.16 NS

C18:2 t9t12 0.21 ± 0.01 0.14 ± 0.01 P < 0.001

C18:2c9t12 0.18 ± 0.01 0.13 ± 0.01 P < 0.05

C18:2 t9c12 0.22 ± 0.01 0.18 ± 0.01 P < 0.05

C18:2 n � 6 9.55 ± 0.37 8.37 ± 0.34 P < 0.05

C18:3 n � 6 0.26 ± 0.01 0.23 ± 0.01 NS

C18:3 n � 3 0.38 ± 0.02 0.33 ± 0.01 P < 0.05

C20:0 0.12 ± 0.04 0.16 ± 0.04 NS

C22:0 0.13 ± 0.01 0.08 ± 0.01 P < 0.01

C20:1 n � 9 0.13 ± 0.01 0.13 ± 0.01 NS

C20:2 n � 6 0.63 ± 0.05 0.54 ± 0.05 NS

C20:3 n � 6 0.07 ± 0.01 0.09 ± 0.01 NS

C20:4 n � 6 2.75 ± 0.17 2.53 ± 0.16 NS

C20:5 n � 3 EPA 0.15 ± 0.01 0.09 ± 0.01 P < 0.01

C22:4 n � 6 0.43 ± 0.04 0.41 ± 0.03 NS

C22:5 n � 3 0.46 ± 0.03 0.36 ± 0.03 P < 0.05

C22:6 n � 3 DHA 0.05 ± 0.01 0.03 ± 0.01 P < 0.001

Saturated 46.98 ± 0.63 48.16 ± 0.59 NS

Monounsaturated 36.72 ± 0.77 37.08 ± 0.72 NS

Polyunsaturated 16.30 ± 0.72 13.44 ± 0.67 P < 0.01Pn � 6/

Pn � 3 14.00 ± 0.65 15.22 ± 0.61 NS

P/S 0.35 ± 0.02 0.28 ± 0.02 P < 0.01

Trans 2.63 ± 0.21 2.33 ± 0.20 NS

Intramuscular fat 2.19 ± 0.26 2.31 ± 0.26 NS

Cholesterol 52.34 ± 1.92 44.63 ± 1.92 P < 0.05

A. Braghieri et al. / Meat Science 69 (2005) 681–689 685

growth potential). As also demonstrated by the mean fi-

nal live and carcass weights of the animals used in this

experiment, Limousine sires have a higher growth po-

tential compared to Podolian sires, which in turn pro-

duced animals with higher meat cholesterol.

MDA content (Fig. 1) was not affected by muscle

(P > 0.05), whereas it was influenced by ageing

(P < 0.01) and genotype (P < 0.05). No significant inter-actions were found. Accordingly, Cifuni et al. (2004) ob-

served a significant increase of MDA content when

ageing was changed from 8 to 15 days but no significant

variation induced by muscular anatomical location. The

effect of genotype on MDA is likely to be mediated by

the fatty acid composition observed in the two groups,

as P subjects produced meat with a higher degree of

unsaturation compared to LP and susceptibility to oxi-

dation increases with the number of double bonds in

the fat (Allen & Foegeding, 1981). The toxicity of

MDA in human nutrition is well known, however, in

the meat of both groups its level was below the threshold

value for rancidity (1–2 mg/kg of meat; Watts, 1962).

3.3. Physical and sensory properties

For both genotypes the rate of pH fall in LD and SM

is depicted in Fig. 2. The analysis of variance showed

significant effects of genotype (P < 0.05) and time

(post-mortem h; P < 0.001), whereas muscle, first and

Fig. 1. Effect of genotype and ageing on MDA content (mg/kg) of LD muscle.

Fig. 2. Effect of genotype on post-mortem pH decline of LD and SM

muscles.

Fig. 3. Genotype and ageing effects on WB shear force of LD and SM

muscles.

686 A. Braghieri et al. / Meat Science 69 (2005) 681–689

second order interactions were not significant. As ex-

pected, pH values were much lower at 24 and 48 than

at 1 h (P < 0.001) as a consequence of post-mortem gly-

colysis. pH values were higher in the meat from Podo-

lian animals than crossbred subjects. Also Ciria,

Asenjo, Beriain, and Gorraiz (2000) found significantdifferences in ultimate pH values between the cosmopol-

itan Charolais and the local Serrana Soriana breeds.

Ultimate pH can markedly affect meat quality. Watan-

abe, Daly, and Devine (1996) observed that an increase

in LD pH may be associated with increased toughness.

However, in this experiment it fell within the range

(5.5–5.8) needed to avoid dark cutting meat (Dransfield,

1981).

WBS force (Fig. 3) was affected by breed and muscle

(P < 0.001), whereas it was only slightly influenced by

ageing (P < 0.10). No significant interactions were ob-

served. In a recent study Belew, Brooks, McKenna,

and Savell (2003) evaluated the WBS values for a wide

array of bovine muscles. These authors confirmed previ-

ous works reporting that support muscles are more ten-der than locomotive muscles. Accordingly, in this study

the support LD needed a lower WBS force than the lo-

comotive SM (P < 0.001). WBS values were significantly

lower in meat from crossbred subjects (P < 0.01),

although both genotypes were below an acceptability

threshold value of 3.9 kg, as indicated by Morgan

et al. (1991). Numerous authors attributed differences

of beef tenderness in terms of WBS force to geneticallydiverse enzymatic activity, fatness or fibre type (e.g.,

Sherbeck, Tatum, Field, Morgan, & Smith, 1995). Age-

ing and the interaction ageing · genotype had no effect

Table 3

Effect of ageing and genotype on sensory attribute scores of LD muscle (mean ± S.E.)

Ageing Genotype Significance

2d 7d P LP A G A ·G

Flavour 5.21 ± 0.15 5.07 ± 0.15 5.18 ± 0.15 5.10 ± 0.15 NS NS NS

Tenderness 5.26 ± 0.18 6.15 ± 0.18 5.11 ± 0.18 6.31 ± 0.18 P < 0.001 P < 0.001 NS

A. Braghieri et al. / Meat Science 69 (2005) 681–689 687

on Warner Bratzler Shear values, although other

authors (French et al., 2001; Maria, Villaroel, Sanudo,

Olleta, & Gebresenbet, 2003; Sherbeck et al., 1995)

found a significant decrease in WBS values throughout

the ageing period, indicating a significant improvement

in meat tenderness.

Both genotype and ageing influenced LD tenderness

(Table 3) as assessed by taste panel (P < 0.001), whereasno significant interaction genotype · ageing was ob-

served. LD showed higher sensory tenderness in cross-

bred than P young bulls (P < 0.001). Although sensory

panellists scored samples from 7-day ageing as more ten-

der compared with meat aged only two days, we did not

find an effect on shear values, probably because of the

short time of ageing. The sensory evaluation of meat

tenderness by a panel is costly (meat to be purchasedand assessors to be paid) and time consuming (panel

training). However, although the Warner–Bratzler

method gives the maximal force needed to shear a core

of meat, no information on perception of meat tender-

ness during biting and mastication can be detected. As

already stated, many studies reported an effect of ageing

on beef tenderness as assessed by Warner–Bratzler

shearing. However, along with Otremba et al. (1999),what is measured by shear force may not exactly reflect

the attributes evaluated by a descriptive texture profile.

Girolami et al. (2003) stated that sensory evaluation of

meat may be more effective in detecting subtle tender-

ness differences than instrumental assessment.

The tenderisation process occurring during ageing in-

volves complex changes in muscle metabolism and is

dependent on animal breed, metabolic status and envi-ronmental factors. However, the main determinant of

ultimate tenderness appears to be the enzymatic proteol-

ysis of muscular fibres (Koohmarie, 1996). A number of

authors observed that sensory tenderness improved as

ageing time increased (Huff & Parrish, 1993; Miller

et al., 1997). In particular, for meat produced by differ-

ent continental European breeds post-mortem ageing

improved tenderness regardless of genotype (Wulf etal., 1996). In addition, Mitchell et al. (1991) observed

that the extension of the ageing period from 3 to 10 days

significantly increased sensory tenderness, whereas no

further improvement was detected at 21 day ageing. A

similar trend was found by Silva, Patarata, and Martins

(1999) for meat obtained from local Portuguese bulls,

and Xie, Bushboom, Conforth et al. (1996) for crossbred

Wagyu beef.

Numerous authors have found a significant effect of

genotype on meat sensory tenderness scores (Gregory,

Cundiff, Koch, Dikeman, & Koohmaraie, 1994; Macie

et al., 2000; O�Connor, Tatum, Wulf, Green, & Smith,

1997). In our study breed differences in muscle Zn con-

centrations may have determined higher shear values

and lower panel tenderness scores for Podolian young

bulls with higher Zn levels inhibiting post-mortem pro-teolysis (Seideman, Cross, & Crouse, 1989). In pure

and crossbred Hereford steers, Sherbeck et al. (1995) ob-

served that shear values and sensory tenderness ratings

increased as the percentage of Brahman breeding in-

creased. Accordingly, the meat of Holstein and Charo-

lais steers received poorer sensory scores compared to

Aberdeen Angus subjects (Sinclair et al., 2001). Even

within Charolais and Limousine breeds, marked geneticdifferences were observed in meat tenderness and such

results were unaffected by post-mortem ageing (Wulf

et al., 1996). Campo, Sanudo, Panea, Alberti, and

Santolaria (1999) also observed a marked effect of the

breed on meat tenderness and suggested an early con-

sumption of meat obtained from double muscle animals

and a longer ageing period for meat produced by local

and rustic breeds in order to reach tenderness values clo-ser to consumer expectations. The same authors ob-

served a significant genotype · ageing interaction with

statistical differences appearing among different geno-

types at early ageing times (1–14 days) but not at 21

day post-mortem. These results do not conflict with ours

where no interaction was found and can be explained on

the basis of the reduced ageing time used in the present

study.Although Cifuni et al. (2004) found an increased fla-

vour intensity in Podolian beef aged for longer (15 vs. 8

days), in this experiment (Table 3) the short ageing peri-

ods (7 vs. 2 days) may also account for the lack of a sig-

nificant effect (P > 0.05). No effect of breed type was

evident on the flavour intensity of the beef (P > 0.05).

4. Conclusion

In the present study crossbreeding Podolian with

Limousine cattle increased pre-slaughter weights and re-

duced cholesterol contents, but did not improve the

n � 6/n � 3 ratio, which was high and exceeded the rec-

ommended values for human nutrition in both geno-

types (P and LP). Conversely, a detrimental effect of

688 A. Braghieri et al. / Meat Science 69 (2005) 681–689

crossbreeding on the P/S ratio was observed as the meat

from Podolian young bulls showed higher and more

beneficial levels of PUFA.

The sensory panel was able to detect more subtle dif-

ferences between treatments than the Warner–Bratzler

method, possibly because panellists perceive more infor-mation during biting and mastication. The former indi-

cated that the products obtained by LP cattle and those

aged for at least 7 days were the most tender.

Therefore, the most rapid strategies available for

improving tenderness in Podolian young bulls would

be extended post-mortem ageing and the crossbreeding

with Podolian cows exceeding replacement needs with

bulls of other breeds producing more tender meat. Theinfluence of crossbreeding on beef nutritional properties

was complex, whereas the administration of forage-

based diets may be more effective in improving meat

quality in relation to human health.

Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to D. Giordano and G. D�Andrea for

help in conducting sensory analysis. This research was

financially supported by POP FESR 1999.

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