Effect of age and gender on the processing characteristics of buffalo meat.

Comparison of processing characteristics of meat from young male, spent male and spent female buffaloes was made to find the suitability of the meat for developing ready to eat meat products. Intensively reared young male buffalo meat showed higher moisture, collagen solubility, sarcomere length, myofibrillar fragmentation index and water holding capacity than meat from the other animals. A higher pH, total meat pigments, salt soluble protein, emulsifying capacity and lower collagen solubility were observed in spent male buffalo meat. Spent female buffalo meat had higher fat, total collagen, muscle fibre diameter and shear force value. Sensory evaluation of pressure cooked meat chunks indicated a marked toughness in spent male and female buffalo meat samples. These results suggest that young male buffalo meat is more suitable for processing in chunks and spent male and female buffalo meat is more suitable for processing in smaller particles.