ABSTRACT
Meat is a major component of the diets of many people around the world. Animals slaughtered for meat traditionally were immediately distributed, sold, and consumed. Preservation was unnecessary, but as surpluses began to be produced, preservation methods were required so that excess product could be held and used at a later time or at some distant location. Cooling meat with ice was an early method of preservation that did not change the form or state of the product. Freezing, a logical progression, made longer preservation possible. In many countries, locally produced frozen meat is not commercially available. However, a large proportion of the meat consumed in developed countries may have been frozen for transportation. Aging is a proteolytic breakdown of myofibrillar proteins by endogenous enzymes and is most rapid at high temperatures, a situation that arises with electrical stimulation. Temperature fluctuations during storage cause recrystallization, and this affects the subsequent drip.
