Impact of processing temperature on drying behavior and quality changes in organic beef

The drying of beef has gained an increasing interest and the organic market shows an increasing demand for dried beef products. In this study, organic beef meat slices were dried at 50 °C, 60 °C and 70 °C. Moisture content and color was measured throughout the drying process alongside Vis/VNIR hyperspectral images of the slices. The results of the total color difference (ΔE) showed the biggest change for samples dried at 50 °C (ΔE = 25.6). The aw value was the lowest for slices dried at 50 °C (0.744). The hyperspectral data gave promising results regarding non-invasive prediction of moisture content and color. Keywords: beef drying; drying behavior;color; hyperspectral imaging; quality.