Improving Tenderness of Forage-Finished Beef Using a Low-Voltage Electrical Stimulator

What was done (summary) This study was designed to examine the effectiveness of low-voltage electrical stimulation (ES) in improving meat tenderness of forage-finished beef when used in a small-scale, low-volume slaughter plant. In experiment 1, the effect of ES on postmortem glycolysis was inves­ tigated by measuring metabolite concentrations in 10 cattle (5 ES and 5 control). ES accelerated postmortem glycolysis, as demonstrated by the faster depletion of ATP and glycogen and rapid decline of pH in muscles from the ES cattle than those from the control cattle. In experiment 2, loin eye muscle samples from 31 electri­ cally stimulated and 28 non-stimulated cattle were col­ lected to evaluate meat quality traits and to measure cooked meat shear force at day 2, 7, 14, 21, and 28 after slaughter. ES did not affect meat color and firmness. The shear force of the ES group was about 10% lower (P=0.06) than that of the control group throughout the 28-day aging period.