Process optimisation of pulsed electric fields pre-treatment to reduce the sous vide processing time of beef briskets

This study used multiple regression to model the effect of pulsed electric field (electric field strengths 0.7, 1.0 or 1.5 kV cm(-1)) and sous vide (60 degrees C for either 12, 18 or 24 h) processing on the quality parameters (tenderness, cooking loss, colour, lipid stability) of beef brisket. Pulsed electric fields (PEF) at 0.7 kV cm(-1) and 1.5 kV cm(-1) followed by sous vide processing for 12-20.2 and 20.8-23.7 h, respectively gave the lowest values for hardness (<20.2 N), shear force (100.5 N mm(-1) s(-1)) and cooking loss (<17.4%). PEF treatment prior to sous vide processing had no significant effect on lipid oxidation, colour stability, cooking loss or in vitro protein digestibility of sous vide-processed brisket. Increasing the electric field strength and/or prolonging the sous vide time significantly increased collagen solubilisation in the sous vide brisket. This study demonstrated that a PEF pre-treatment can reduce sous vide processing time while enhancing the tenderness of tough meat cuts.