Effects of electrospun chitosan wrapping for dry-ageing of beef, as studied by microbiological, physicochemical and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance analysis

The effects of using electrospun chitosan fibres as a wrapping material for dry-ageing beef was studied and compared to traditional dry-ageing and wet-ageing of beef for up to 21 days. The chitosan treatment showed improved results in terms of yield, reduction of microbial counts, yeasts and moulds, and lighter appearance compared to traditional dry-ageing. Weight and trimming losses were minimal in the wet-ageing beef. However, significant growth of lactic acid bacteria was observed in this group. Transverse relaxation times indicated a lower degree of muscle denaturation during ageing in the chitosan dry-ageing beef compared to the traditional dry-ageing meat. A principal component analysis furthermore indicated that 60.6% of the variation between samples and ageing treatments could be described by differences in the water content and distribution in the muscle. The study showed that electrospun chitosan fibre mats have potential as a wrapping material for improved quality during dry-ageing of beef.