Conventional Versus Accelerated Dry-Aged Meat: Chemical and Sensory Profiles of Longissimus lumborum Muscles From Nellore and Angus × Nellore Crossbreeds

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of dry aging by conventional (28 days aged; NF28d) and accelerated (frozen/thawed and 14 days aged; FT14d) processes on the sensory and chemical (fatty acids, FA; volatile organic compounds, VOC; and amino acids; AA) profiles of striploins from Nellore and crossbreed F1 Angus × Nellore (F1Angus) bulls. The FT14d Nellore FA profile was close to the profile of the F1Angus samples in both systems (FT14d and NF28d), but F1Angus meat had a higher polyunsaturated/saturated ratio than Nellore's meat (0.42 vs. 0.31).

FT14d changed the VOC profile of grilled meat and exudate, being the exudate VOC most related to the sensory profile. Nellore FT14d was more related to AA glycine, alanine, and glutamic acid, and F1Angus (FT14d and NF28) with leucine and isoleucine but all three samples were related to commonly dry-aged beef VOC acetoin, 2-methylbutanal, and 3-methylbutanal. Although each aging process generated distinct sensory profiles, the genotype was the determining factor in discriminating against beef samples, particularly for the texture attributes. While acceptance scores were unaffected by the aging processes within each genotype, higher overall acceptance scores were observed for F1Angus and Nellore FT14d samples. In conclusion, the accelerated aging treatment provided F1Angus beef samples with a chemical and sensory profile like those obtained by the conventional process. Moreover, an improvement in the sensory quality of lower-marbling beef (Nellore) was observed with accelerated aging, characterizing a viable and competitive technology alternative for commercializing the meat from these animals.

Practical Applications

The data from this study demonstrate that accelerated dry-aging improves the flavor and texture of leaner meats, such as Nellore beef, in less time. This approach offers a cost-effective alternative for the meat industry while delivering a more flavorful and tender product to consumers.