Effect of sodium citrate plus sodium diacetate or buffered vinegar on quality attributes of enhanced beef top sirloins

As new pathogen intervention products come to market, it is important to ensure that they maintain or improve meat quality. Shelf-life and palatability traits were measured for top sirloins enhanced to 110% with solutions containing 0.5% sodium chloride and 0.4% sodium tripolyphosphate (CNT); CNT with a 1% solution of 80% sodium citrate plus 20% sodium diacetate (SC + D); or CNT with 2% buffered vinegar (VIN) in the final product. Enhancement solution did not influence color over 7 days of retail display, except VIN was subjectively more red than CNT and SC + D on d 7 and SC + D had less discoloration than CNT on d 7 (P < 0.05). VIN was rated lower (P < 0.05) than CNT for trained sensory tenderness and there was no difference in shear force between treatments. SC + D and VIN show promise for use in beef enhancement solutions, however, further sensory studies are warranted.