Improvement of Color and Lipid Stability during Display in Japanese Black Steer Beef by Dietary Vitamin E Supplementation for 4 Weeks before Slaughter

Effects of dietary vitamin E supplementation for 4 weeks before slaughter on drip loss, meat color and lipid stability during display in fresh beef steak from Japanese Black steers were studied. Three Japanese Black steers were fed no supplemental vitamin E and three Japanese Black steers were supplemented with 2, 500mg dl-α-tocopherol per animal daily for 4 weeks before slaughter. Semitendinosus muscles were sliced into 1-cm thick steaks, and 50-mm diameter pieces were cut from these sliced steaks with a template cutter. Samples were over-wrapped with PVC film and displayed under cool white fluorescent lights at 4°C for 10 days. Drip losses, surface metmyoglobin percentages, L*a*b* values and 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values were determined at day 1, 4, 7 and 10. Dietary vitamin E supplementation increased (P