Dry-aged beef quality with the addition of Mucor flavus – Sensory, chemosensory and fatty acid analysis

Dry-aged beef is a premium product known for its unique taste and aroma. These characteristics are thought to partially depend on the composition of the microorganisms present on the meat surface during ageing. Recently several attempts to standardise this process were made. This study aimed to assess the effect of a fungal biostarter application on the profile of volatile compounds, fatty acid composition and sensory quality of dry-aged beef. The Longissimus muscle used in the experiment originated from 20 crossbred (10 heifers and 10 steers) animals from the crossing of Holstein-Friesian cows with beef breed bulls. A fungal biostarter composed of Mucor flavus strain KKP2092p was used for meat inoculation. Half of the material was aged without the use of a biostarter (Control samples). The dry-ageing of the meat was performed at a temperature of 1.5 °C with approximately 80-90 % relative humidity for 28 days. The use of Mucor flavus KKP2092p improved meat quality attributes (aroma liking, flavour and overall liking) as a result of the formation of specific volatile compounds. The profile of volatile compounds in the meat aged with Mucor flavus and control variants was differentiated. This study also indicated that Mucor flavus biostarter had an impact on the specific fatty acid composition. An insignificant effect of Mucor flavus on lipid oxidation expressed as mg/kg of malonaldehyde was also observed.