Tenderness of commercially produced Australian emu meat: Effect of temperature and pH decline rate

In meat from many domestic species, tenderness is greatly affected by the p H and temperature decline in the muscle post-slaughter. The effect of these two parameters on the tenderness of two cuts (fan and inside drum) from co mmercially produced and slaughtered emus was studied by measuring Warner Br atzler shear force values. After seven days ageing at 0 degrees C, the drum cut was tougher than the fan cut. Differences in tenderness between the sa me cut from different birds were not related to differences in the pH and t emperature decline rates of the muscles.