PREVENTION OF MEAT TOUGHNESS: A description of some of the research that has been undertaken to overcome the problems of meat toughness

Consumer complaints about meat toughness have persisted for years. Work has been conducted by the Meat Research Institute on this problem. Electrical stimulation of carcasses and methods of assessing meat texture were researched. Details of tests used to measure other variables are given. Objective instrumental testing of meat texture is considered to be proceeding empirically. Shear force measurements relate more closely to texture and with greater practical applications but need to be compared with traditional sensory terms. Tenderness via electrical stimulation is practicable only in abattoirs and large‐scale processing plants.