Sodium citrate as a replacement for sodium chloride in a brine solution when evaluated in cows of different backfat thickness.

The objective of this study was to evaluate seven muscles from cow forequarters, which were selected based on backfat thickness; an indicator of supplemental feed before slaughter: Moderate cover (Moderate ⩾ 0.76cm) and Thin cover (Thin ⩽ 0.51cm). In addition, enhancement with a brine solution containing either Sodium Chloride or Sodium Citrate was evaluated for differences in shelf-life and meat quality. Moderate carcasses had increased carcass weight, increased fat cover and a lower yield for some of the muscles compared to Thin. However, there were minimal differences for palatability and shelf-life compared to Thin. Trained panelists detected minimal differences between Citrate and Chloride for palatability. Citrate resulted in visually darker steaks, but less discoloration during the display period. Results indicate that while selection of cow carcasses based upon backfat thickness results in minimal quality differences; compared to enhancement with Chloride, Citrate minimally impacts palatability and will extend product shelf-life by reducing discoloration.