Abstract
Rounds from twenty yield grade 2 and twenty yield grade 3 carcasses were dissected into cutability components of fat, lean, bone, and connective tissue. Subcutaneous fat, M. gluteobiceps, ishiatic head of M. gluteobiceps, and M. semitendinosus differed (P<0.05) between yield grades for percentage of initial round weights. M. rectus femoris, M. vastus lateralis, M. semimembranosus, M. adductor, M. gluteobiceps, ishiatic head of M. gluteobiceps, and M. semitendinosus were assigned randomly to one of four treatment groups: control, mechanical blade-tenderization, 2% injection of the enzyme bromelain, or 10% injection of salt/phosphate solution. Steaks (2.54 cm) from each muscle were cooked by dry-heat and moist-heat methods. Warner-Bratzler shear force values differed (P<0.05) for M. rectus femoris and M. semimembranosus across treatment groups for both dry-heat and moist-heat cookery methods. These muscles also improved tenderness ranking among individual muscles for both cookery methods. M. semitendinosus displayed significantly lower shear values of moist-heat steaks compared to dry-heat for control and bromelain steaks. Percent moisture for phosphate treated steaks was significantly higher than all other treatments. Purge loss of individual muscles, number of steaks cut per muscle, steak yield, cook loss for both methods, and percent fat displayed no significant differences across treatment groups. These findings suggest individual muscles from the round can improve in tenderness through injection-type strategies. Bromelain and phosphate treatments in combination with moist-heat cookery methods can improve the quality of beef rounds.
Kolle, Barret Lee (2002). Tenderization strategies for individual muscles from beef rounds. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -2002 -THESIS -K596.