Reciprocal Meat Conference Abstracts

Exploring the M. Rectus Femoris as a Steak Cut

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Abstract

ObjectivesThe m. rectus femoris (REC) is part of the knuckle. Over the last years, peeled knuckles are being sold as a 93/7 sirloin trim as a leaner ingredient for final ground products. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate WBSF values and cooking loss of REC to explore the marketability of this muscle as a steak cut.Materials and MethodsThirty samples of REC (n = 15) and m. gluteus medius (GLM; n = 15) were obtained from an USDA inspected facility. Muscles were fabricated from A-maturity, USDA Choice carcasses. Samples were transferred under refrigeration to the University of Nevada, Reno Meat Quality Lab, where they were aged 15 d post mortem at 5°C. Steaks for WBSF and cooking loss analysis were fabricated from the center portion of REC and the center portion of the dorsal half of GLM. Samples were cooked on a tabletop grill, flipped at 35°C, and cooked until final temperature reached 70°C at the geometric center. Samples were cooled for 24 h (cooled to approximately 5°C) prior to tenderness analysis. Six cores (1.27 cm in diameter) were obtained from each sample and sheared with a Warner-Bratzler blade. The crosshead speed of the texture analyzer was set at 500mm/min with a 100kg load cell. Data were analyzed by using PROC GLIMMIX of SAS (SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC).ResultsNo differences for cooking loss were observed when comparing REC to GLM (P = 0.14, 24.87, and 23.57%, respectively). Numerically, WBSF values for REC were lower when compared to GLM, 2.79 and 3.07 Kgf, respectively (SE = 0.08). However, no statistical difference was observed when comparing both muscles (P = 0.08).ConclusionThe m. rectus femoris showed similar cooking loss and objective tenderness when compared to m. gluteus medius. Based on tenderness and cooking performance, it is possible to market REC as a steak cut with similar GLM prices. The other muscles from the knuckle, m. vastus lateralis, m. vastus medialis, and m. vastus intermedius still can be used as 93/7 trim.

Keywords: gluteus medius, WBSF, added-value, rectus femoris

How to Cite:

Yeh, Y., Ragnone, M. & de Mello, A., (2018) “Exploring the M. Rectus Femoris as a Steak Cut”, Meat and Muscle Biology 1(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.221751/rmc2016.083