Evaluation of three vacuum packaging methods for retail beef loin cuts

• Effects of various vacuum packaging methods on beef quality were studied.
• Vacuum packaging of primals and repacking as steaks gave poorer colour and purge.
• Vacuum packaging as steaks at deboning gave intermediate colour and drip loss.
• Vacuum-skin packaging of steaks reduced drip and improved colour stability.

Meat from beef T-bone cuts was packaged as follows: (1) Sub-primal cuts vacuum packaged (VP) in shrink bags, aged for 14 days, portioned, VP again and aged for a further 7 days (VPR), (2) individual T-bone steaks VP in shrink bags aged for 21 days (VPP), and (3) individual T-bone steaks aged in vacuum-skin packaging (VSP) for 21 days. VSP recorded less purge and showed higher oxymyoglobin values after 2 days and higher chroma after 3 days of aerobic display (P < 0.001) than VPR and VPP. Similar differences in colour stability were recorded for VPP compared to VPR.