Influence of Electrical Stimulation, Blade Tenderization and Postmortem Vacuum Aging Upon the Acceptability of Beef Finished on Forage or Grain

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Abstract
Twenty-four Hereford × Angus steers were randomly divided into two groups and fed common bermudagrass pasture for 126 d or a corn-based diet for 112 d. After slaughter the left side of each carcass was electrically stimulated. At 72 h, the strip loins were removed and separated into three parts. One portion was vacuum aged (VA) for 21 d, the second portion was blade tenderized (BT) and the third served as a control. The grain-finished steers gained faster (P<.01) and had heavier (P<.01) final live and carcass weights than than the forage steers. The forage steers had less (P<.01) fat, smaller longissimus muscle area and superior yield grade, while the grain-finished cattle had whiter fat, a higher degree of marbling and a higher quality grade than steers finished on bermudagrass pasture. Diets of all-forage or corn had no significant effect on cooking traits, Warner-Bratzler shear (WBS) or sensory-panel traits. Electrical stimulation (ES) improved (P<.05) the tenderness of the steaks as measured by WBS, but not by sensory panel. Both BT and VA significantly improved WBS and sensory-panel tenderness of loin steaks. Interactions between ES with either BT or VA did occur, because the steaks that received both the ES and BT or ES and VA treatment were more tender as measured by WBS than steaks that received only one of the treatments. Copyright © 1985. American Society of Animal Science. . Copyright 1985 by American Society of Animal Science

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