title: Retail colour stability of lamb meat is influenced by breed type, muscle, packaging and iron concentration.
abstract: The longissmus lumborum (LL) and semimembranosus (SM) muscles from 391 lamb carcasses, derived from various breed types, were used to investigate the effect of animal/muscle factors, packaging type [over-wrap (OW) or high oxygen modified atmosphere packaging (MAPO2)] and duration of display on redness of meat during simulated retail display. Using statistical models the time required (in days) for redness to reach a threshold value of 3.5 (below this is unacceptable) was predicted. High levels of iron in the SM, but not LL, reduced the time for redness to reach 3.5 by 2-2.6days in MAPO2and 0.5-0.8days in OW. The greater the proportion of Merino breed type, the shorter was the time for redness to reach the value of 3.5, an effect consistent across muscles and packaging types. In summary, breed type, packaging format, muscle and muscle iron levels had a significant impact on colour stability of sheep meat in oxygen-available packaging systems.
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Animal Research Centre for Sheep Industry Innovation, CJ Hawkins Homestead Building, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia; Future Farming Research Division, Department of Primary Industries, 600 Sneydes Rd, Werribee, VIC 3030, Australia; Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia. Electronic address: robyn.warner@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Warner
authors.affiliation: 36 Paynes Road, Hamilton 3300, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kearney
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Animal Research Centre for Sheep Industry Innovation, CJ Hawkins Homestead Building, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia; Centre for Red Meat and Sheep Development, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Cowra, New South Wales, NSW 2794, Australia.
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Hopkins
authors.affiliation: Cooperative Animal Research Centre for Sheep Industry Innovation, CJ Hawkins Homestead Building, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia; Department of Agriculture and Food WA, Baron Hay Court South Perth, WA 6151, Australia.
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Jacob
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001315:Australia; D003116:Color; D018857:Food Packaging / Q000379:methods*; D007501:Iron / Q000032:analysis*; D008462:Meat-Packing Industry / Q000379:methods; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000737:chemistry*; D010100:Oxygen; D000069466:Red Meat / Q000032:analysis*; D012756:Sheep / Q000145:classification
chemical_list: D007501:Iron; D010100:Oxygen
keywords: Colour stability; Genotype; MAP; Merino; Packaging; Quality; Redness