Physicochemical and Sensory Characteristics of Vacuum Aged Buffalo Meat
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20095032
Abstract
Meat is a scrumptious and nutrient dense diet that contains a significant amount of proteins and vital bioactive compounds like vitamins and minerals. The present study analyzed the physicochemical and sensorial attributes of vacuum aged buffalo meat. Procured samples were aged after being vacuum packaged in polyethylene bags. Except for the control group, aging of all the treatments was done by placing them in the refrigerator at 4℃ for 1,3,5,7 and 9 days, respectively. Aged meat samples were subjected to proximate analyses, including moisture, crude fat and crude protein determination. The results from the collected data were statistically analyzed to determine the level of significance. According to the results, quality and sensory parameters were improved at the end of the storage period without compromising the safety and quality of meat. The storage duration exerted a highly significant impact on moisture content as compared to the control. Moisture exhibited a decreasing trend from 77.12 to 73.06% throughout the continuation of the aging process. Aging duration also exerted a highly significant impact on crude fat and crude protein content (P≤0.01). pH and water binding capacity were also influenced by the aging period and exhibited an increasing and decreasing trend, respectively. Cooking yield was not affected as much with respect to the unaged samples. Color parameters, including L*, a* and b* values of aged meat samples were significantly increased from 30.22 to 35.45, 13.96 to 17.52 and 7.05 to 9.23, respectively. Mineral content exhibited a slightly decreasing trend with the increased storage duration. There was a noticeable improvement in the texture of vacuum aged meat samples (P≤0.01). TPC was significantly influenced, while the strains of E. coli were not detected. Sensory attributes were significantly influenced (P≤0.01). The results of this study endorsed the improvement in quality and sensorial parameters of buffalo meat under the influence of vacuum aging.
