Effects of calf diet, antioxidants, packaging type and storage time on beef steak storage

The effect of basal dietary supplemented with vegetable oils plus vitamin E (sunflower, soybean, linseed and a basal diet control), type of packaging (MAP or vacuum), addition of natural antioxidant (grape seed, rosemary) and storage time (0, 7, 14 and 21 days) on lipid oxidation, color stability, vitamin E content, and total aerobic bacterial counts in steaks of Longissimus thoracis was studied. The triple interaction diet × time × packaging affected oxidative stability, redness and yellowness of the meat. TBARS values did not increase with time in vacuum-packaged samples for all dietary treatments. However, samples from MAP and control showed the highest TBARS values after 21 days of storage (0.72 mg MDA/kg of meat, P < 0.05). Both exogenous antioxidant extracts and MAP maintained low total aerobic counts in steaks until the 21st day. Calves should be fed a diet supplemented with L–VE, stored in MAP and treated with grape seed extract to extend the shelf life of their meat.