The Relation of Beef Temperatures During Coring and Shearing to Warner-Bratzler Shear Values

The effect of the temperature of meat when cores were removed and the temperature of the cores at the time of shearing on Warner-Bratzler shear values was studied. The precision of measurements obtained with the Warner-Bratzler shear device as affected by a combination of these temperatures was estimated. Beef roasts from the biceps femoris muscle were cooked at 300^o to an internal temperature of 170^oF. Four temperature combinations were tested: (1) samples cored and sheared at 150^oF; (2) samples cored at 150^oF, and sheared at room temperature; (3) samples cored and sheared at 40^oF; and (4) samples cored at 40^oF, and sheared at room temperature. A total of 733 shears on 192 cores from 12 roasts obtained from three steers was evaluated.

Only a slight difference in shear values was associated with the two coring temperatures (P < .10); however, there was a difference (P < .01) associated with the three shearing temperatures. Samples sheard at 150^oF yielded lower average values than were obtained by shearing at room temperature or at 40^oF.

A high degree of variability in shear values was obtained with all temperature combinations. However, the values for samples cored and sheared at the coolest temperature, 40^oF, had the lowest coefficient of variation, 32.3%. Thus, it appeared that the precision of the measurements obtained with the Warner-Bratzler shear apparatus was affected by the temperature of meat samples at the time the cores were removed and sheared.