Muscle and Subcutaneous Fatty Acid Composition and the Evaluation of Ageing Time on Meat Quality Parameters of Hispano-Bretón Horse Breed.
Authors: Beldarrain Lorea R, Morán Lara, Sentandreu Miguel Ángel, Insausti Kizkitza, R Barron Luis Javier, Aldai Noelia
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Researchers characterised the fatty acid and meat quality profiles of loin steaks from 15-month-old Hispano-Bretón horses reared semi-extensively, then tracked how vacuum ageing over 0, 7, 14 and 21 days altered pH, colour, texture and cook loss. The muscle tissue contained 3.31% fat on average, with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels higher than in beef or lamb but still limited by the animals' high-grain finishing diet. Ageing significantly affected all quality parameters: meat began developing browning and reduced redness after 14 days, whilst tenderness improved markedly during the first fortnight, with Warner-Bratzler shear force data indicating that seven-day-aged meat reached 'intermediate tender' status. For equine professionals involved in meat production or carcass evaluation, an ageing window of 7–14 days optimises texture and colour development whilst minimising the oxidative changes that accelerate beyond two weeks.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •For horse meat producers: vacuum ageing between 7-14 days optimizes tenderness and color stability; avoid exceeding 14 days to prevent excessive browning
- •Finishing diet composition significantly influences muscle fatty acid profiles; high-grain diets limit beneficial n-3 accumulation compared to forage-based systems
- •Post-slaughter handling protocols matter: implement standardized ageing procedures to achieve consistent meat quality parameters across production batches
Key Findings
- •Horse loin fat content averaged 3.31% with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content higher than ruminant meats but limited by high-grain finishing diet
- •Vacuum ageing significantly affected all meat quality parameters with color browning beginning at 14 days and decreased redness without change in yellowness
- •Warner-Bratzler shear force analysis showed optimal tenderness improvement during first two weeks, with 7-day aged meat classified as 'intermediate tender'
- •Ageing period between 7 and 14 days recommended for optimum horse meat quality under these production conditions