ENHANCEMENT EFFECTS ON SENSORY AND RETAIL DISPLAY CHARACTERISTICS OF BEEF ROUNDS

Beef round roasts were injected (to 110% of original weight) to result in 0.4% sodium chloride and 0.4% phosphate on a finished weight basis. Steaks from enhanced roasts were more (P<0.05) juicy, tender and salty than those from control roasts. However, enhancement had a detrimental effect on the color of the steaks during retail display. After two days in display, enhanced steaks had lower visual color scores indicating darkening and discoloration. At 4 days, a* and b* values were lower for enhanced steaks indicating that they were less red and yellow than controls. Aerobic plate counts suggested that enhanced steaks were more susceptible to microbial growth during retail display. Although enhancement positively affected sensory characteristics, the negative effect of a shortened shelf-life was apparent.