Effect of processing methods on product characteristics, lipid, fatty acid composition and oxidative stability of smoke-dried beef

Smoke‐dried beef was pre‐processed with water or by pressure cooking, weight losses were 50 and 54% respectively, with the rate of drying faster in the latter. There was a greater loss of total lipid and triglycerides in pressure cooked samples but the reverse was true for the phospholipids. The proportions of saturated and monoenoic fatty acids were slightly higher in the water cooked products although total unsaturation was slightly lower, the values being 37 and 39%, respectively. The fatty acid composition of the phospholipids was similar for both treatments except that the levels of polyenoic fatty acids were 16.4 and 14.43%, respectively in water and pressure cooked samples. Of the polyenes C20:4 accounted for about 75% of the fatty acids in the water cooked samples, compared with 40% with pressure cooking. After 60 weeks of storage at room temperature, pressure cooked samples were found to be more stable oxidatively: malonaldehyde was the principal oxidative by‐product in both treatments.