title: Pre-rigor infusion with kiwifruit juice improves lamb tenderness.
abstract: The ability of pre-rigor infusion of kiwifruit juice to improve the tenderness of lamb was investigated. Lamb carcasses were infused (10% body weight) with fresh kiwifruit juice (Ac), water (W) and a non-infusion control (C) treatment. Infusion treatment had no effect on lamb hot carcass weight, cold carcass weight and chilling evaporative losses. The infused treatment carcasses of Ac and W had lower (P<0.05) pH values than C carcasses during the initial 12h post-mortem. The LD muscles from Ac carcasses were more tender with significantly lower shear force (P<0.001) compared with C and W carcasses during the six days following infusion with the kiwifruit juice. The enhanced proteolytic activity (P=0.002) resulting from the infused kiwifruit juice in Ac carcasses was associated with significant degradation of the myofibrillar proteins, appearance of new peptides and activation of m-calpain during post-mortem ageing. Thus, kiwifruit juice is powerful and easily prepared meat tenderizer, which could contribute efficiently and effectively to the meat tenderization process.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, P.O. Box 84, Lincoln University, Lincoln 7647, Canterbury, New Zealand.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Morton
authors.forename: A E D
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Bekhit
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Sedcole