The association between total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) concentration and other biomarkers of quality and spoilage for vacuum packaged beef

• Published in: Meat science Vol. 179; p. 108551
• Main Authors: Holman, Benjamin W.B., Bekhit, Alaa El-Din A., Waller, Michael, Bailes, Kristy L., Kerr, Matthew J., Hopkins, David L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2021
• Subjects: Beef; biomarkers; color; drip loss; Eating quality; freshness; intramuscular fat; longissimus muscle; meat science; microbial load; Microbial loads; particle size; Retail-potential; Spoilage; total volatile basic nitrogen; Total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N); Vitamin E; water content; Vitamin E; Spoilage; Retail-potential; Microbial loads; Beef; Total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N); Eating quality
• ISSN: 0309-1740; 1873-4138; 1873-4138
• DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2021.108551

Beef longissimus lumborum muscles (24) were each portioned into 6 steaks, and these were held at ~0.5 °C for up to 14 weeks. Total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) data was compared against other measures of quality and freshness: total viable microbial count (TVC), ultimate pH, drip loss, purge, moisture content, cook loss, shear force, particle size, vitamin E, intramuscular fat content (IMF) and colour parameters. There was an association between TVB-N and colour parameters; and between TVB-N and several parameters for microbial load, tenderness and moisture. IMF and vitamin E were not correlated to TVB-N. TVB-N of 5.1 mg/100 g (95% confidence intervals: 4.6–5.5 mg/100 g) was estimated as equivalent to a TVC of log 7 cfu/g. When beef samples were categorised as either spoilt or fresh using this TVC recommendation, TVB-N was correct in 77.9% of its assignments. Additional investigation is necessary to confirm this result against a larger sample population with a broader range of TVB-N values.