Theses and Dissertations Collection

Improvements in retail shelf-life of exported beef will help with merchandising and increase the competitiveness of US beef products in the global market. The objectives of these studies were to 1) determine the effect of the topical application of 0.05% acerola cherry powder (C) and 0.10% rosemary extract (R) from various suppliers (1, 2, 3) on beef chuck roll and bone-in short rib steak retail shelf-life and 2) determine the effect of the topical application of 0.05%-0.10% acerola cherry powder and 0.10%-0.20% rosemary extract in combination on beef chuck roll and bone-in short rib steak retail shelf-life. Chuck roll steaks treated with R1 and R2 had a brighter oxygenated lean color than untreated control steaks, while C2 and R2 treated steaks were more uniform than untreated control steaks. R3 improved short rib bone marrow redness and yellowness, and C1 brightened short rib steak oxygenated lean color. When combining antioxidants, chuck roll steaks had improved redness and higher concentrated combinations delayed lipid oxidation. In short rib steaks, antioxidant combinations delayed lipid oxidation and improved oxygenated lean color. Applying topical antioxidants can improve retail shelf-life stability of beef chuck rolls and bone-in short ribs aged for an extended period.