Abstract:

Quadriceps femoris muscles from Dazu black goat’s rear legs were used to investigate the changes in sensory and
physicochemical parameters during postmortem aging, including drop loss, color, shear force, cooking loss, pH, glycogen
content, myofibrillar fragmentation index, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and thiobarbituric acid value (TBARS).
The results showed that the changes in drip loss, pH, glycogen content and TBARS occurred mostly during the first 72 h of
postmortem aging; after 24 h of postmortem aging, pH and drip loss did not significantly change (P > 0.05), while MFI value
had a significant difference (P < 0.05). TVB-N was in accordance with the first-grade standard level of fresh meat during
the first 72 h of postmortem aging. Therefore, the appropriate postmortem aging time was 72 h, as judged by the changes in
sensory evaluation, color, water-binding capacity, shear value, pH and TBARS; based on the changes in TVB-N value, the
aging time was no longer than 72 h. Collectively, the best aging time was 72 h.

Key words: Dazu black goat, sensory, physicochemical characteristics, postmortem aging, aging time