ABSTRACTEight heavy‐weight, grain‐fed cattle (475–550 kg steers) were slaughtered and the right sides were electrically stimulated (50 impulses, 440 volts, 5 amps, 60 cycles per set) within 1 hr postmortem and before chilling. Measurements of pH were taken at 1, 6, 12 and 24 hr. Steaks were removed at 24 hr for palatability, fragmentation and sarcomere length determinations. Significant differences were observed for pH values at 1 hr (P0.05) were observed for 12 hr or 24 hr pH values. Quality evaluations revealed that electrical stimulation resulted in improvements in lean color uniformity. Electrically stimulated beef also had less panel‐detectable connective tissue amount and higher ratings for tenderness, flavor and overall palatability than unstimulated beef. Neither sarcomere length nor myofibril fragmentation index differed significantly (P>0.05) between treatments. This study suggests that electrical stimulation is as effective in improving quality and palatability of heavy‐weight, grain‐fed beef as previous research has shown it to be in improving these characteristics in light‐weight, short‐fed or
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