Quality characteristics of horse meat as influence by the age of horse

Abstract

This study aimed at the analysis of the impact of the age of horses and selected substances (lactic acid, malic acid, salt phosphates, and phosphates with rosemary) on the quality of horse meat during cold storage. Samples of the longest thoracic muscle obtained from 12 half-carcasses of horses from two age groups: from 4 to 7 years and from 8 to 12 years constituted the research material for the analysis. The addition of each of the substances (lactic acid, malic acid, salt phosphates, phosphates with rosemary) used to marinate this meat increased the color brightness and reduced the value of shear force and hardness compared to the control sample (P < .05) in both age groups. The use of lactic acid for marinating in the case of meat from both younger and older horse carcasses affected the lowest sensory evaluation scores (P < .05) of this meat compared to the control sample and those for which other substances were used.