BLADE TENDERIZATION OF BEEF PSOAS MAJOR AND SEMITENDINOSUS MUSCLES

Muscles from 20 U.S. Good carcasses were passed through a blade tenderizer one (IX), two (2X) or three (3X) times to determine effects on cooking and palatability characteristics. Psoas major (OX, IX) and semitendinosus (OX, IX, 2X, 3X) muscles were studied. Blade tenderization had little or no effect on thawing loss, cooking loss, cooking time or degree of doneness for steaks from either muscle. Blade tenderization (IX) decreased (P < 0.05) shear force requirements and amounts of organoleptically detectable connective tissue and increased (P < 0.05) ratings for tenderness for cooked steaks from both muscles. Shear force data suggested that semitendinosus can be made as tender as psoas major by blade tenderization (2X), but organoleptic data did not support such a conclusion, suggesting that sensory panel members considered factors other than or in addition to resistance to shear in assessing relative tenderness. Blade tenderization enhanced the tenderness of two muscles which differ greatly in connective tissue content. Absolute response to blade tenderization (IX) was greater for semitendinosus (by 0.3 kg, shear force; by 0.5 rating scale units, connective tissue amount; and by 0.2 rating scale units, tenderness) than for psoas major. Data suggest that blade tenderization disrupts connective tissue, but not to the extent that would allow blade tenderized muscles high in connective tissue to be used interchangeably with untreated muscles of low connective tissue content.