The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of marbling category and postmortem aging on the palatability of lamb loin chops as determined by U.S. consumers.
Postmortem aging is well known to improve eating quality characteristics, such as tenderness, juiciness and flavor; however, extended aging periods have been demonstrated to lower oxidative stability of beef muscles, resulting in discoloration and possible rancidity.
Even though postmortem aging has been widely accepted as the predominant technique for improving the tenderness and overall eating experience of beef, retailers are hesitant to age beef for extended time periods prior to placing it in the retail case because product “freshness” is reduced and a shorter display life may be realized.