Effect of high hydrostatic pressure treatments on physicochemical properties, microbial quality and sensory attributes of beef carpaccio

The application of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) to fresh and marinated beef has not had the same development as cooked or cured meat products. The limited commercial application of HHP on these products is due to the significant discoloration observed. In the present work, it was studied the application of HHP treatments on frozen or thawed carpaccio samples at three pressure levels (400, 500 and 600MPa) during 5 min at refrigeration temperatures (0 and 5 degrees C) and room temperature (20 degrees C). Carpaccio was prepared using Semitendinosus beef muscle marinated with antioxidant and preservative additives. Analyses performed in all samples were: expressible moisture, pH, shear force, work of shearing, CIELab chromatic parameters, sensory appearance and aerobic total count (ATC) at 30 degrees C. There was no temperature effect on HHP processing of thawed (5 and 20 degrees C) or frozen (0 and 5 degrees C) samples. Pressure level effect was only observed on ATC and work of shearing of thawed treated samples. Frozen conditioning of carpaccio previous to HHP treatments reduced the harmful effects of pressure on chromatic parameters (L*, a* and b*) and water holding capacity. This could evidence a minimization of the denaturation of sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar proteins. It was observed a lower effectiveness of HHP treatments on microorganisms' inactivation for frozen carpaccio than for thawed one. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier B.V. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of 11th International Congress on Engineering and Food (ICEF 11) Executive Committee.