Effect of freezing, thawing and frozen storage on physico-chemical and sensory characteristics of buffalo meat

A study was conducted on some physico-chemical and sensory characteristics of buffalo meat frozen by plate and blast freezing and stored at −15 ± 3°C for a period of 3 months. A marginal increase in pH values and drip losses were observed during the storage period. Drip losses were less in blast frozen samples. WHC, cooking losses thermal shrinkage and WB Shear values indicated inconsistent results, during storage. Similar observations were recorded with regard to tyrosine and TBA values. No significant differences in the physico-chemical characteristics were observed between meat cuts and minced meat. Plate frozen meat samples scored higher for texture, juiciness and aroma. Both the plate and blast frozen meat samples, however, were similar in overall quality according to taste panel results.