Effects of liquorice extract on the pH value, temperature, drip loss, and meat color during aging of Longissimus dorsi muscle in Tan sheep

The experiment was to investigate the effect of liquorice extract (LE) as an antioxidant supplement in sheep diet on meat physical quality. Fifty-four-month-old Tan male sheep were randomly allocated among five dietary groups with LE supplementation at levels of 0 mg/kg, 1000 mg/kg, 2000 mg/kg, 3000 mg/kg and 4000 mg/kg feed. After 120 days of feeding, the muscle was sampled at slaughter and the samples were conditioned for 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 days in a chiller (4 °C). The results showed that supplementation with LE decreased (P < 0.05) temperature, drip loss, metmyoglobin (MetMb) concentration and percentage, whereas it increased (P < 0.05) myoglobin (Mb) concentration. As aging progressed after postmortem, temperature, drip loss and Mb concentration decreased (P < 0.05), but MetMb concentration and percentage increased (P < 0.05). The results demonstrate that LE supplementation can improve the physical quality of fresh meat, and the data suggest the optimal dose is between 3000 mg/kg and 4000 mg/kg feed.