A comparison of the effects of some post‐slaughter treatments on the tenderness of beef

Abstract
Summary: The tenderness of most of the major muscles in beef animals, subjected to different hanging treatments at 0–1°C after slaughter, have been compared at 2–3 days post‐slaughter (non‐aged) and at 21 days post‐slaughter (aged). It has been shown that hanging from the aitch bone gives tenderness values for the non‐aged meat equivalent to 21 days ageing at 0–1°G for meat obtained from sides hung from the Achilles tendon. Adhesion between meat fibres was significantly reduced by stretching, but was not affected by ageing. The objective and subjective measurements showed that while stretching substantially reduced toughness due to the meat fibres, the effect of stretching on connective tissue was not always large enough to give tender meat.