Ten beef semitendinosus muscles were
divided into three sections, which were
randomly assigned to one of three blade
tenderization treatments (control-zero, one,
or two times). Blade-tenderized muscles
were cooked in a forced-air convection
oven at 325° to 145°F and held for 1 min.
Cooked muscles were chilled overnight at
38°F and sliced by a sharp knife. Panelists
(n=19) evaluated iridescence intensity on a
five-point scale (0=no iridescence, 5=very
strong) and extent of iridescence (0=no
iridescence, 5=81-100% affected area).
Blade tenderization decreased (P<0.05)
iridescence intensity from 2.37 to 2.02 and
extent of iridescence from 2.18 to 1.83
(control zero vs. two passes). Cooking loss
increased (P<0.05) with blade tenderization
(30.4% control, 32.6% one pass, 33.7%
two passes). Blade tenderization has a
moderate effect on reducing iridescence.
