P.PSH.1327 | Lamb meat yield benefit of Rinse & Chill

Summary

Rinse & Chill® (RCT) is a proprietary technology developed by MPSC Inc with the purpose of removing residual blood from the circulatory system of a humanely stunned animal. RCT uses a chilled isotonic solution of dilute substrates. The objective of RCT is to modulate muscle pH and temperature, increasing eating quality and food safety, whilst improving red meat yield. However, to date the impact of RCT on lamb yield has not yet been independently validated.

Consequently, this trial aimed to verify the benefit of Rinse & Chill® Technology (RCT) on the yield and assess whether use of RCT had any impact on the pH decline of lamb carcases. To this end, 1,324 lamb carcases were processed on 5 days over two weeks and traits including pre rinse weight, hot standard and cold carcase weight (HSCW and CCW), GR tissue depth, pH and temperature were measured. Square cut shoulders were boned out from a subset of carcases to assess if RCT treatment had any impact on purge of the forequarter cuts.

Objectives

The aim of this project was primarily to estimate the effect of RCT on lamb HSCW, whilst investigating the impact of the RCT on chiller shrink, pH decline and purge of a forequarter cut, the square cut shoulder.

Key findings

Lamb HSCW was increased by 700g (s.e 48), similarly CCW was also increased by 700g (s.e ± 89) increasing yield by 3.2% for 22.0 kg carcases. There was no significant effect of treatment on chiller shrink, or purge. The pH temperature decline data completed on a subset of carcases demonstrated that treated carcases had a more rapid pH and temperature decline and pH at 24h tended to have a lower pH then control carcases.

Benefits to industry

This report addresses the effect of RCT on the yield of lamb HSCW and chiller shrink. The secondary aim was to increase our understanding about RCTs effect on purge of the shoulder and the pH temperature decline.

MLA action

MLA plans to undertake further work investigating RCTs impact on pH decline and and eating quality.

Future research

Overall, this trial demonstrates a yield advantage with the use of RCT and indicates a more rapid pH decline is achievable. However, the impact of the more rapid pH decline and tendency for lower pH values on meat quality traits is yet to be investigated. Given previous research has indicated advantages to meat quality are achievable even when pH decline is not optimal, further research on the impact of RCT treatment on pH decline and meat quality is warranted.