Optimisation of Sous Vide Processing Parameters for Pulsed Electric Fields Treated Beef Briskets

The goal of this research was to optimise sous vide processing parameters for beef briskets, previously treated with pulsed electric fields (PEF), to enhance meat tenderness while maintaining other quality attributes such as water holding capacity, colour, and collagen solubility. PEF-treated briskets (electric field strength 1.5kV/cm; specific energy of 90-100 kJ/kg) were subjected to various sous vide temperature and time combinations for the process optimisation using response surface methodology.Sous vide temperature was found to significantly reduce the shear force of PEF-treated meat while time significantly reduced its hardness. In addition, beef briskets processed by PEF prior to sous vide processing showed less variation owing to a reduction in the effect of biological variation on the parameters tested. According to the response optimiser prediction, sous vide processing at 60 degrees C for 24h resulted in optimal quality and tenderness. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that PEF-treated meat showed evidence of pore formation in connective tissue and polarised-sensitive optical coherence topography (PS-OCT) revealed that the collagen matrix of PEF-treated meat had a reduced birefringence capacity compared to non-PEF-treated meat, which indicated a breakdown of the collagen.