Effect of different aging temperatures prior to freezing on meat quality attributes of frozen/thawed lamb loins

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of different aging temperatures prior to freezing on quality attributes of frozen/thawed lamb loins. The loins (M. longissimus lumborum; n = 32) were randomly allocated to one of the four different aging/freezing treatments: aged only (− 1.5 °C for 14 days) and aged (− 1.5 °C for 14 days, 3 °C for 8 days, or 7 °C for 8 days) then frozen/thawed loins. The loins aged at elevated temperatures (3 °C or 7 °C) for 8 days had equivalent shear force, protein degradation and purge loss values compared to the loins aged at − 1.5 °C for 14 days (P > 0.05). However, significantly higher drip loss and less color stability were observed in the loins with increasing aging temperatures compared to the loins aged at − 1.5 °C. These results suggest that application of elevated aging temperatures could shorten required aging periods prior to freezing, while not adversely affecting tenderness and purge loss of frozen/thawed meat.