Effect of oxygen concentration in modified atmosphere packaging on color and texture of beef patties cooked to different temperatures.

Patties were made from raw minced beef after storage for 6days in modified atmosphere (0, 20, 40, 60, and 80% oxygen) to study the combined effect of oxygen concentration and cooking temperature on hardness and color. Increased oxygen concentrations generally led to larger (P<0.01) thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) values, greater (P<0.01) loss of free thiols and more formation of cross-linked myosin heavy chain. Hardness of cooked patties was generally lower (P<0.01) without oxygen. Premature browning of cooked patties was observed already at a relative low oxygen concentration of 20%. The internal redness of cooked patties decreased (P<0.05) with increasing oxygen concentrations and increasing cooking temperatures. Mean particle size (D(3,2)) of homogenized cooked meat generally increased (P<0.05) with increasing cooking temperatures and increasing oxygen concentrations, and particle size was correlated (r=0.80) with hardness of cooked patties.