DIETARY VITAMIN-E ENHANCES COLOR AND DISPLAY LIFE OF FROZEN BEEF FROMHOLSTEIN STEERS

We studied effects of freeze-thaw treatments, storage time, light and film permeability on color of frozen longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle from control and vitamin E supplemented (2100 IU/head/day) Holstein st eers. Color changes with time were modeled using an exponential decay equation. Dietary vitamin E supplementation increased color stability of frozen LL samples kept at -20-degrees-C. After 3 mo of dark storage , saturation index and a for control LL wrapped in polyethylene were 11.4 and 8.8; for supplemented meat, same conditions, they were 19.0 a nd 17.0, respectively. Illumination and vacuum packaging increased col or changes. Predisplay dark storage of 30 days reduced discoloration o f supplemented LL. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles caused fading of semime mbranosus muscle (SM) and the effect was more pronounced in meat from control animals.