Effect of different aging temperatures prior to freezing on meat quality attributes of frozen/thawed lamb loins

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of different aging temperatures prior to freezing on quality attributes of frozen/thawed lamb loins. The loins (M. longissimus lumborum; n=32) were randomly allocated to one of the four different aging/freezing treatments: aged only (−1.5°C for 14days) and aged (−1.5°C for 14days, 3°C for 8days, or 7°C for 8days) then frozen/thawed loins. The loins aged at elevated temperatures (3°C or 7°C) for 8days had equivalent shear force, protein degradation and purge loss values compared to the loins aged at −1.5°C for 14days (P>0.05). However, significantly higher drip loss and less color stability were observed in the loins with increasing aging temperatures compared to the loins aged at −1.5°C. These results suggest that application of elevated aging temperatures could shorten required aging periods prior to freezing, while not adversely affecting tenderness and purge loss of frozen/thawed meat.