Evaluation of combined effects of ageing period and freezing rate on quality attributes of beef loins

•Effects of freezing rates on meat quality attributes of beef loins were determined.•Fast freezing resulted in decreased purge and drip loss of frozen/thawed loins.•Fast freezing had no effect on shear force values of frozen/thawed loins.•Aged/frozen loins had lower shear force values compared to aged only loins.

The objective of our study was to evaluate the combined effects of ageing period and different freezing rates on meat quality attributes of beef loins. Pairs of loins (M. longissimus at 1 day post mortem) from 12 carcasses were divided into four equal portions and randomly assigned to four ageing/freezing treatments (aged only, frozen only, and 3 or 4 weeks ageing at − 1.5 °C then frozen). Two freezing methods (fast freezing by calcium chloride immersion or slow freezing by air freezer at − 18 °C) were applied to the loin sections. Fast freezing had no effect on shear force (P > 0.05), but significantly improved the water-holding capacity of the aged/frozen loins by reducing purge and drip losses. Ageing-then-freezing significantly improved shear force values of loins compared to both the aged only and frozen only loins. These observations suggest that fast freezing will add more value to the aged/frozen/thawed meat by minimising the amount of water-loss due to the freezing/thawing process.