Intermediate ultimate pH compromises color stability in aged beef from <i>Bos indicus c</i>attle

Anjos, Luana França dos; Gadbem, Cristina Tschorny Moncau; Venturini, Anna Cecília; Savian, Taciana Villela; Pereira, Michael Henriques; Custódio, Milena Cristina; Cesar, Aline Silva Mello; Gonza, Milagros Maribel Coaguila; Castillo, Carmen Josefina Contreras

doi:10.1590/1678-992X-2024-0174

Food Science and Technology • Sci. agric. (Piracicaba, Braz.) 83 • 2026 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1678-992X-2024-0174 linkcopy

Intermediate ultimate pH compromises color stability in aged beef from Bos indicus cattle

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Beef with high and intermediate pHu (ultimate pH) levels can contribute to the occurrence of dark-cutting beef, resulting in economic losses for the industry. This study aimed to assess beef color and its stability by examining color parameters, including lightness (L*), redness (a*), yellowness (b*), Chroma (C*), hue angle (h*), global variations in color (∆E), metmyoglobin percentage (MMb %), deoxymyoglobin percentage (DMb %), oxymyoglobin percentage (OMb %), ratio of light reflectance (%) (R630/580), relative oxygen consumption rate (OCR %), relative metmyoglobin reducing activity (MRA %), and myoglobin concentration of fresh beef across three pHu ranges: normal (pH < 5.8), intermediate (5.8 ≤ pH < 6.20), and high (pH ≥ 6.20). Longissimus lumborum (LL) muscles from Nellore cattle were vacuum-packed, and analyses were conducted after refrigerated storage at 2 ± 2 °C for 3, 14, and 21 days post-mortem. The blooming effect of normal and intermediate pHu steaks during simulated retail exposure (vacuum-packaging) at 3, 14, and 21 days was higher (> OMb %) compared to high pHu steaks. However, wet aging (vacuum-packaging) did not prevent discoloration in intermediate pHu steaks after 14 days; these displayed higher MMb levels (%) than normal pHu steaks, similar to those observed in high pHu steaks. Notably, higher MRA values in both intermediate and high pHu samples across all aging periods evaluated aligned with the increased myoglobin concentrations in these samples. These findings suggest that the dark color of steaks with pH > 5.8 may be associated with an increase in oxidative metabolism and greater oxygen consumption (OC) by the mitochondria over time.

Keywords:
Nellore; meat quality; instrumental color; dark-cutting

		Aging time (days)
Variables	pHu ranges	3	14	21
b*	Normal	16.05 aB	17.51 aA	17.98 aA
	Intermediate	15.26 abC	16.01 abB	17.41 aA
	High	13.34 bB	13.76 bB	14.62 bA
MMb %	Normal	17.32 aB	16.93 bA	16.17 bA
	Intermediate	16.72 aB	17.55 aA	16.53 abB
	High	17.84 aB	18.75 aB	18.91 aA
DMb%	Normal	22.15 bA	20.24 cA	19.45 bA
	Intermediate	25.78 abA	25.36 bA	20.19 bB
	High	27.87 aB	32.81 aA	28.39 aB
OMb%	Normal	60.53 bB	62.82 aAB	64.38 aA
	Intermediate	57.50 abB	57.09 bB	63.27 aA
	High	54.28 bA	48.44 cB	52.70 bA
MRA%	Normal	86.20 bA	81.79 bB	80.63 bB
	Intermediate	89.26 abA	83.99 bB	82.23 bB
	High	91.28 aA	92.40 aA	91.54 aA

Variables	Main effects		Average
L*	pHu	Normal	38.45 a
		Intermediate	37.59 a
		High	34.76 b
a*	pHu	Normal	25.35 a
		Intermediate	24.45 a
		High	22.50 b
	AT	3 days	23.27 c
		14 days	24.23 b
		21 days	24.80 a
C*	pHu	Normal	30.65 a
		Intermediate	29.38 ab
		High	26.47 b
	AT	3 days	27.65 c
		14 days	28.94 b
		21 days	29.91 a
h*	pHu	Normal	33.82 a
		Intermediate	33.21 ab
		High	31.57 b
	AT	3 days	32.31 c
		14 days	32.68 b
		21 days	33.61 a
R630/580	AT	3 days	4.97 b
		14 days	5.24 a
		21 days	5.32 a
OCR %	AT	3 days	83.68 a
		14 days	76.56 b
		21 days	76.54 b
Mb concentration (mg g^–1) of fresh beef	pHu	Normal	6.08 b
		Intermediate	5.83 b
		High	8.02 a
∆E 21 days	pHu	Normal	4.79 ab
		Intermediate	5.42 a
		High	3.39 b

location_on

Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de Queiroz" USP/ESALQ - Scientia Agricola, Av. Pádua Dias, 11, 13418-900 Piracicaba SP Brazil, Phone: +55 19 3429-4401 / 3429-4486 - Piracicaba - SP - Brazil
E-mail: scientia@usp.br

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[TFN1] ^b*
= yellowness; MMb % = Metmyoglobin; DMb % = Deoxymyoglobin; OMb % = Oxymyoglobin; MRA % = Relative metmyoglobin reducing activity. Lowercase letters in the column compare pHu and uppercase letters in the row compare aging times (p < 0.05).