Effects of freezing storage temperature on the storage stability of beef

This study was conducted to investigate changes in pH, volatile basic nitrogen (VBN), thiobarbituric acid (TBA), a∗ (redness), shearing force, and microbial content (total plate count; TPC) in beef during freezing storage at -1, -5, and -20°C for 21 days. TPC as an effective quality indicator was used to identify the decay point by regression analysis. The pH, TBA values, and TPC significantly increased with storage at all tested temperatures (p<0.05). VBN significantly increased and shearing force significantly decreased with storage at -1 and -5°C (p<0.05). TPC showed significant correlation with temperature at -1°C (R2=0.891), -5°C (R2=0.856), and -20°C (R2=0.444). The decay points at -1, -5, and -20°C, were 27, 52, and 84 days, respectively. The results suggest that a freezing temperature of -5°C is effective for short-term storage of beef.