The 2010/2011 National Beef Tenderness Survey revealed that post-fabrication aging times for subprimal cuts in cold storage facilities ranged from 1 to 358 days for retail subprimals, and 9 to 67 days for foodservice subprimals. Currently, little information is available for product aged longer than 35 days. Our objective was to determine the consequences of aging, for 2, 14, 21, 42 and 63 days post-fabrication, on fluid loss, retail color stability and lipid oxidation of top loin, top round, top sirloin and bottom round steaks.
Beef strip loin, top (inside) round, top sirloin butt and outside round from USDA Select carcasses (n=12) were purchased from AB Foods (Toppenish, Wash.) and transported to the University of Idaho Meat Science Laboratory. Wholesale products were cut into five sections at least two inches thick on day two and randomly assigned to one of the five aging periods