Titration of fresh meat color stability and malondialdehyde development with Holstein steers fed vitamin E-supplemented diets

Pigment and lipid oxidations were investigated in longissimus lumborum (LL), semimembranosus (SM), and gluteus medius (GM) from Holstein steers fed four doses of vitamin E (64 [control], 295, 550, or 2,173 IU/d) for two durations (42 or 126 d). Vitamin E dose did not affect (P = .30) carcass quality or yield characteristics. The LL was stored in vacuum packages at 4 degrees C for 14, 28, and 56 d, and GM and SM were stored for 14 d. Increments of dose and duration of vitamin E supplementation increased (P < .001) alpha-tocopherol concentration in blood plasma and in these muscles. During simulated retail display, accumulations of metmyoglobin (METMB) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were greater (P < .01) in beef from control than in beef from supplemented steers. In cubic models, muscle alpha-tocopherol accounted for 79% of the variation in TBARS and 66% of the variation in METMB. Color display life, calculated by the METMB threshold method, revealed fewer dose and duration effects of vitamin E than were evident following analysis of variance of the METMB responses. Across durations and muscles, color display-life of fresh beef calculated by the METMB threshold method was extended (P < .05) .9 to 1.8 d by vitamin E supplementation (P < .05). Storage for 28 or 56 d caused only a slight decline (P < .001) in LL alpha-tocopherol concentration but diminished (P < .05) vitamin E effects on color display-life. Although the ranking of alpha-tocopherol accumulation was GM > SM > LL,the color display-life ranking of these muscles across vitamin E treatments was LL > SM > GM.