Name: introducing an angle adjustable cutting box for analyzing slice shear force in meat
Uploaded: 2013-04-26T13:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Introducing an Angle Adjustable Cutting Box for Analyzing Slice Shear Force in Meat at JoVE.com

This study was part of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada A-Base project "Development of high-throughput techniques for meat samples to reduce the phenomic gap for multivariate quality traits in marker assisted selection". The skilled assistance of the Beef Unit and Meat Processing staff at the Lacombe Research Centre are sincerely appreciated. The authors also wish to thank the dedicated technical assistance of Christine Burbidge-Boyd, Fran Costello, Glynnis Croken and Rhona Thacker.

1. Steak Collection
<ol>
	<li>Following grading at 24 hr - 48 hr post slaughter, the longissimus muscle (either the thoracic and/or lumborum end) is removed from beef carcasses and collected for quality analysis.</li>
	<li>The muscle is trimmed of subcutaneous fat and squared off. The muscle is then cut into 2.5 cm (1 in) steaks following safety and food handling protocols. Following the cutting of individual steaks, appropriate labels (animal number, side, muscle location, or time) are pl...

<ol>
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H., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Beef+Texture+and+Juiciness.">Beef Texture and Juiciness.</a> Handbook of meat and meat processing. , 177-206 (2012).</li><li>Kerth, C. R., Montgomery, J. L., Lansdell, J. L., Ramsey, C. B., Miller, M. F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Shear+gradient+in+longissimus+steaks.">Shear gradient in longissimus steaks.</a> Journal of Animal Science. 80, 2390-2395 (2002).</li><li>Janz, J. A. M., Aalhus, J. L., Dugan, M. E. R., Price, M. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+mapping+method+for+the+description+of+Warner-Bratzler+shear+force+gradients+in+beef+Longissimus+thoracis+et+lumborum+and+Semitendinosus.">A mapping method for the description of Warner-Bratzler shear force gradients in beef Longissimus thoracis et lumborum and Semitendinosus.</a> Meat Science. 72, 79-90 (2006).</li><li>Derington, A. J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Relationships+of+slice+shear+force+and+Warner-Bratzler+shear+force+of+beef+strip+loin+steaks+as+related+to+the+tenderness+gradient+of+the+strip+loin.">Relationships of slice shear force and Warner-Bratzler shear force of beef strip loin steaks as related to the tenderness gradient of the strip loin.</a> Meat Science. 88, 203-208 (2011).</li><li>Shackelford, S. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Slice+Shear+Force.">Slice Shear Force.</a> Beef Facts. , (2009).</li><li>Henrickson, R. L., Mjoseth, J. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Tenderness+variation+in+two+bovine+muscles.">Tenderness variation in two bovine muscles.</a> Journal of Animal Science. 23, 325-331 (1964).</li><li>Ju&#225;rez, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Quantifying+the+relative+contribution+of+ante-+and+post-mortem+factors+to+the+variability+in+beef+texture.">Quantifying the relative contribution of ante- and post-mortem factors to the variability in beef texture.</a> Animal. FirstView, 1-10 (2012).</li><li>Shanks, B. C., Wulf, D. M., Maddock, R. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Technical+note:+The+effect+of+freezing+on+Warner-Bratzler+shear+force+values+of+beef+longissimus+steaks+across+several+postmortem+aging+periods.">Technical note: The effect of freezing on Warner-Bratzler shear force values of beef longissimus steaks across several postmortem aging periods.</a> Journal of Animal Science. 80, 2122-2125 (2002).</li><li>Lawrence, T. E., King, D. A., Obuz, E., Yancey, E. J., Dikeman, M. 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The angle adjustable box ensures the SSF blade always shears muscle fibres at a true perpendicular angle, rather than approximately perpendicular which could happen with a fixed 45 &deg; angle cut8. The application of the variable angle cutting box allows for more accurate depictions of the maximal shear force in a sample, and it is on this basis of improving objective quality analysis techniques that the variable angle cutting box was developed. Furthermore, the wide range of angles presented by the angle adj...

Tenderness is one of the most important quality attributes in meat1. Inconsistency in beef tenderness has been identified as one of the major problems facing the beef industry2. The Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) test, characterized by a triangular hole in a precisely machined shear plate, is the most widespread method used to indicate meat sensory tenderness3,4, as it is the instrumental method that arguably has shown the best correlation with sensory panel scores for meat toughness5. However, the slice shear force protocol (SSF) has become an important technique for analyzing muscle texture and tenderness6, as an alternative to the standard WBSF protocol7. It is beneficial in instances where rapid analysis or a high number of samples need to be processed. For the SSF, only one core is taken from the steak when it is still warm, versus the multiple cores (3-6) taken from the steak usually after 24 hr of refrigeration for the WBSF6. From this one slice, the SSF analyzes the average texture of the whole steak8, as it has been found that tenderness varies between the lateral to medial sides of the steak9, with the center and middle of steaks having the best representation for average WBSF. The downfall to the SSF is that, within a steak, from the lateral to medial sides, there is variation in the shear force values9; however, by consistently using the sizing box to make 5 cm sections, it may reduce variability that could come from using different sections of the steak. However, since some steaks are different sizes, a 5 cm slice may occur in different locations on the steak, which could then affect shear force values10.
On the other hand, the original cutting box designed to obtain the section to be analyzed in the SSF protocol allows only 2 fixed angles, 45 &deg; and 90 &deg;; however, muscle fibre orientation changes within steaks, and within the muscle11. Shackelford and Wheeler12 stated that the average longissimus angle was 43.8 &deg;, which was close to 45 &deg; and therefore deemed appropriate when samples were always collected from the same location. However, Derington et al.11 reported a range in the angle of the fibres along the longissimus muscle between 33.1 &deg; and 53.9 &deg;. Thus, when, for research purposes, several steaks from the same animal need to be analyzed, assigning all fibre angles to either 45 &deg; or 90 &deg; potentially reduces accuracy. The use of a variable angle cutting box may provide a more accurate depiction of maximal shear force, as having the capacity to measure and adjust the cutting angle allows for the slice to consistently run parallel with the muscle fibres.

<table border="1">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Name of equipment</td>
			<td>Company</td>
			<td>Catalogue number</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Vacuum Packager</td>
			<td>Koch Equipment, Kansas City, MO, USA</td>
			<td>Model UV2100</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Vacuum bags</td>
			<td>Winpak Ltd., Winnipeg, MB, Canada</td>
			<td>&nbsp;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Thermocouples and Scanning Device</td>
			<td>Agilent / Hewlett Packard, Santa Clara, CA, USA</td>
			<td>34970A Data Acquisition Switch Unit</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Grill</td>
			<td>Garland Commercial Ranges Ltd., Mississauga, ON, Canada</td>
			<td>Model ED-30-B</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Crisco Vegetable Shortening</td>
			<td>The J.M. Smucker Company, Orrville, OH, USA</td>
			<td>&nbsp;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sample sizing box</td>
			<td>G-R Manufacturing Co., Manhattan, KS, USA</td>
			<td>&nbsp;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Angle adjustable box</td>
			<td>Innovation Centre, Red Deer College, Red Deer, AB, Canada</td>
			<td>&nbsp;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Texture Analyzer Machine</td>
			<td>Texture Technologies, Hamilton, MA, USA</td>
			<td>Model TA-XT Plus</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Load Cell, 50 kg</td>
			<td>Texture Technologies, Hamilton, MA, USA</td>
			<td>TA-XT Plus</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>USDA Warner-Bratzler knife w/guillotine block</td>
			<td>Texture Technologies, Hamilton, MA, USA</td>
			<td>TA-7</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Flat rectangle Blade for Slice Shear Force</td>
			<td>Texture Technologies, Hamilton, MA, USA</td>
			<td>TA-7C</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

introducing an angle adjustable cutting box for analyzing slice shear force in meat

Research indicates the fibre angle of the longissimus muscle can vary, depending upon location within a steak and throughout the muscle. Instead of using the original fixed 45 &deg; or 90 &deg; cutting angle for testing shear force, a variable angle cutting box can be adjusted so the angles of the knives correspond to the fibre angle of each sample. Within 2 min after cooking to an internal temperature of 71 &deg;C on an open-hearth grill set at 210 &deg;C, a 1 cm by 5 cm core is cut from the steak, parallel to muscle fibre direction, using 2 knife blades set 1 cm apart. This warm core is then subjected to the Slice Shear Force protocol (SSF) to evaluate meat texture. The use of the variable angle cutting box and the SSF protocol provides an accurate representation of the maximal shear force, as the slice and muscle fibres are consistently parallel. Therefore, the variable angle cutting box, in conjunction with the SSF protocol, can be used as a high-throughput technique to accurately evaluate meat tenderness in different locations of the longissimus muscle and, potentially, in other muscles.

Thirty-one finished commercial beef steers were slaughtered and their carcasses (528 - 601 kg) were split. In order to create variability in tenderness, right sides were immediately stored at 2 &deg;C, while the left sides were held at 10 &deg;C for 3 hr and then at 2 &deg;C. The longissimus muscles from right and left sides were removed 24 hr after slaughter. Samples from the right sides ("TOUGH" treatment) were analyzed that day, while samples from the left side ("TENDER" treatment) were aged for 6 d before be...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Introducing an Angle Adjustable Cutting Box for Analyzing Slice Shear Force in Meat at JoVE.com

Introducing an Angle Adjustable Cutting Box for Analyzing Slice Shear Force in Meat

Slice shear force is a reference method for beef texture analysis. Using an angle adjustable cutting box could increase its accuracy for research purposes. The results from different locations within the longissimus muscle show a high correlation with Warner-Bratzler shear force methodology and high potential adaptability for different muscles.

Research indicates the fibre angle of the longissimus muscle can vary, depending upon location within a steak and throughout the muscle. Instead of using ...

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