Case life of seven retail products from beef cattle supplemented with alpha-tocopheryl acetate

Packages (n = 660) of clod, strip loin, tenderloin, bottom round, eye-of-ro und, and top round steaks, as well as ground beef, from beef cattle fed die ts supplemented with vitamin E (500 IU/d for 100 d preharvest) were compare d with packages of products derived from carcasses of beef cattle fed contr ol diets to determine the duration of acceptable muscle color during simula ted retail display. In addition, the effect of storage before steak fabrica tion, simulating distribution time, on the acceptability of each treatment and each cut during retail display was investigated. Dietary supplementatio n of animals with vitamin E increased muscle or-tocopherol concentrations ( P < .05) in all cuts. The acceptable retail display time of ground beef fro m vitamin E-supplemented cattle was longer (P < .05) compared to ground bee f from unsupplemented cattle by 10.2, 15.6, and 17.6 h following 7, 14, and 81 d of storage in chub packages prior to final grinding and retail displa y, respectively. However, length of storage in a vacuum package before reta il display did not have a consistent effect on retail case life of steaks. Product drip loss during retail display was not affected by storage time or vitamin E treatment. The trained panel color score during retail display o f high vitamin E strip loin, bottom round, inside round, and eye-of-round s teaks remained acceptable longer (P < .05) by 11.5, 25.2, 8.4, and 29.4 h, respectively, than that of control steaks. The results demonstrated that vi tamin E supplementation of cattle feed can be used as a management tool to reduce the economic losses associated with beef muscle color deterioration during retail display of products.