EVALUATION OF A MATHEMATICAL-MODEL FOR PREDICTION OF LIPID OXIDATION IN HEAT-TREATED BEEF DURING CHILL STORAGE

Ground beef was heated to temperatures ranging from 60 to 120 degrees C and was stored at 5 degrees C for 0-7 days. The oxidative status of the meat samples was quantified by sensory evaluation and by measureme nt of thiobarbituric-cid-reactive substances (TEARS). A model describi ng the effect of moderate heating temperatures (60-80 degrees C) and c hill storage time on the development of TEARS has been developed previ ously, and experiments were conducted to evaluate and extend this mode l. It was demonstrated that the model could be used for prediction of the individual effects of heating time and heating temperature. The le vel of TEARS during chill storage almost doubled when the heating temp erature increased from 60 degrees C to 70 degrees C, but it was unaffe cted by increasing heating temperatures from 70 degrees C to 100 degre es C. Higher heating temperatures caused a remarkable increase in the oxidative stability, TEARS hardly increased during storage after heati ng to 110 degrees C or 120 degrees C. A more elaborate model was devel oped to describe the effect of heating temperatures in the range of be tween 60 degrees C-120 degrees C on development of TEARS, but the pred ictive value turned out to be unsatisfactory. The sensory evaluations were highly correlated with TEARS, and the use of TEARS as a measure o f warmed-over flavour was verified.