Quality Changes of Beef Steaks Stored in Controlled Gas Atmospheres Containing High or Low Levels of Oxygen1,2

Abstract

Steaks from bovine Longissimus and Semimembranosus muscles were used to determine the influence of gas atmospheres on beef color, microbial growth and shrinkage during 9 days of retail display in two separate experimental trials. Steaks were displayed in one of four gas mixtures and were compared to steaks packaged under conventional vacuum and in a film wrap. Gas mixtures containing O2 levels of 10% (one-half ambient) did not maintain a bright red color, but those with 40–75% O2 (more than twice ambient) maintained acceptable color for 9 days of storage. Atmosphere stored steaks lost more moisture (P<0.05) than vacuum-packaged steaks. Psychrotrophic and mesophilic microbial counts from steaks stored 9 days in atmospheres containing 15% CO2 were lower (P<0.05) than the counts for the control steaks.