RESEARCH REGARDING CATTLE MEAT TENDERNESS SLAUGHTERED IN N-E OF ROMANIA

Nicoleta Găină (Diaconu), Roxana Lazăr, E.C. Diaconu, M.M. Ciobanu, P.C. Boişteanu

Abstract
    Identifying the factors that offers and give an influence to the cattle meat tenderness caught the attention of many researchers because tenderness is considered to be one of the most important physical and organoleptic characteristics thereof. Tenderness and other parameters related to the texture of the meat are directly associated with myofibrillar protein structure, connective tissue content and the interaction between them. In order to assess the Warner Bratzler shear forces were studied four groups (youth and adults ♂, respectively youth and adult ♀) from which were harvested 4 groups of muscle tissue (Longissimus dorsi m., Semitendinosus m, Trapezius thoracis m., Biceps brahial m.). Necessary equipment for Warner Bratzler shear forces determination is represented by a monolamelar texturometer TA Plus Lloyd Instruments. Varying according to age of the animals, so on the collagen quantity that exist in the muscle and by the types of muscle fibers composing it, the tenderness of the muscles analyzed were significant differences between groups from females compared to the males, females being represented by the lowest values of shear forces.

Key words: muscle fibers, shear forces, tenderness