76D-12 |
Physical composition and color of meat from male and female nutria (Myocastor coypus) |
K. W. MCMILLIN1, M. E. Michel2, A. P. Brock1, and N. Kinler3. (1) Department of Animal Sciences, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, South Campus Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4210, (2) Microbiology Laboratory, Smithfield Packing Company, Inc., Tar Heel Division, Tar Heel, NC 28392, (3) Fur and Refuge, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, 2415 Darnall Road, New Iberia, LA 70560 Nutria (Myocastor coypus) are semiaquatic vegetarian rodents that are causing severe damage to crops, wetlands, marshes, and levee systems in Louisiana. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries offers incentives for nutria removal by trappers and recreational hunters that will promote sustained usage of pelts and nutria meat. The objective of this research was to evaluate the physical composition and color of meat from large and small male and female carcasses stored on ice for 0, 2 and 4 days after harvest and after 3 and 6 months of frozen storage. Thirty male and 30 female nutria (half <2.3-kg and half >2.3-kg) were harvested and held on ice for 0, 2, or 4 days before random assignment of sides for deboning or freezing in vacuum pouches for 3 or 6 months before deboning. Carcass, side, and part (hind limb, fore limb, body) were weighed before separation into bone, fat, and lean. Lean color (Minolta reflectance spectrophotometer), oxidative stability (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances), and microorganism plate counts were measured. Large male nutria carcasses had increased (P<0.05) total lean (62.8%) and decreased (P<0.05) bone (31.9%) compared with small carcasses (58.3% meat, 35.1% bone) or female carcasses (58.7% meat, 34% bone). Hind limb and body muscles from small carcasses were lighter (P<0.05, higher L*), less red (P<0.05, lower a*), and had less oxidative stability (P<0.05, higher TBARS) than muscles from large carcasses. Total aerobic plate, coliform, and generic E. coli counts were not different with carcass sex or size, time on ice, or frozen storage time. Holding carcasses on ice for up to four days after harvest with minimal physical, color, or deteriorative changes will allow time flexibility for meat removal by processors. Meat from different sizes of carcasses should be segregated to provide uniformity in composition and color.
Session 76D, Muscle Foods II
|