TITLE:
Effects of Age on Chemical Composition and Tenderness of Muscle Longissimus thoracis of Martina Franca Donkey Breed
AUTHORS:
P. Polidori, D. Beghelli, C. Cavallucci, S. Vincenzetti
KEYWORDS:
Donkey Meat, Martina Franca, Chemical Composition, Tenderness
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.2 No.3,
May
17,
2011
ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of age on chemical composition and tenderness of donkey meat. These characteristics were determined on Longissimus thoracis samples taken from 40 entire donkey males of Martina Franca breed slaughtered at 12 (Group 1, n = 20) and at 18 months (Group 2, n = 20) of age. Tenderness was evalu-ated at two and seven days post slaughter using a Warner-Bratzler shear force device. The chemical composition showed a significant increase in protein content (P