The effect of temperature in the range of − 0.8 to 4 °C on lamb meat color stability

•Lamb color stability in controlled freezing point storage (CFPS, − 0.8 °C) was studied.•Better meat color stability was obtained in CFPS than in control (4 °C).•NADH content was higher for meat samples stored in CFPS than that in control.•Metmyoglobin reductase activity was higher for samples stored in CFPS than control.

This study investigated effects of controlled freezing point storage (CFPS, − 0.8 °C) on lamb color stability compared with storage at 4 °C (control). The muscle samples (n = 5) of longissimus thoracis et lumborum from both carcass sides were assigned randomly to the two storage treatments and stored for 10 days. The a⁎, b⁎, R630/580 and Chroma values of samples stored in CFPS were significantly higher than that of samples in control from day 2 to day 10 (P < 0.05). Higher relative content of oxymyoglobin but lower relative content of metmyoglobin were observed in samples stored in CFPS treatment than those in control over 10 days of storage (P < 0.05). Meat samples stored in CFPS group had a significantly higher NADH content and metmyoglobin reductase activity than that in control group. In conclusion, ovine muscle stored in CFPS treatment for 10 days demonstrated better color stability in comparison with those in 4 °C storage.