Effect of repeated pulsed electric field treatment on the quality of hot-boned beef loins and topsides

• Repeated (1 ×, 2 ×, 3 ×) PEF treatment (10 kV, 90 Hz, 20 μs) on quality of hot-boned beef is reported.
• Repeated PEF treatment has varying effects on hot-boned beef loins and topsides.
• Only 1 × PEF treatment improved the tenderisation of hot-boned beef loins.
• Only 3 × treatment produced lowest shear force in topsides.
• An increase in proteolysis was seen to be most effective with 1 × PEF treatment.

The effects of repeated (1 ×, 2 ×, 3 ×) pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment (10 kV, 90 Hz, 20 μs) on the quality of beef loins and topsides were evaluated, including the tenderness, purge loss, cooking loss, myofibrillar protein profile and post-mortem proteolysis. Both muscle types were obtained from each of 12 steers and were processed within 6 h. After PEF treatment samples of both muscle types were subjected to 3, 7, 14 and 21 days ageing. The 1 × and 2 × PEF treatments had no effect on the tenderisation of hot-boned beef Musculus longissimus lumborum muscle for all ageing treatment times, while the 3 × treatment reduced the tenderness. The opposite effect was observed in hot-boned beef Musculus semimembranosus muscles where the 3 × treatment produced meat with lowest shear force at 3 days post-treatment time, but this beneficial effect disappeared with longer ageing times. An increase in proteolysis of troponin T was seen to the largest extent with 1 × PEF treatment and decreased with every extra application of treatment.