Effect of Various Thermal Processing Methods on the Sensory, Textural, and Physicochemical Characteristics of Foal Meat

Previous research on the impact of various heat treatment methods on meat has primarily focused on conventional meats from common livestock animals, with limited studies on the effects of different heat treatments on foal meat. The aim of this study was to evaluate how different heat treatments, including sous-vide, affect the sensory, textural, and physicochemical characteristics of foal meat. This allowed for the identification of the most effective heat treatment method to preserve the optimal quality attributes of foal meat while enhancing sensory and textural qualities preferred by consumers. Samples of m. <i>longissimus thoracis</i> were subjected to traditional cooking in two variants: in water at 100 °C in a foil bag for 1.5 h, and cooked to a core temperature of 85 °C (16 half-carcasses × 2 traditional heat treatment methods = 32 samples). Additionally, m. <i>longissimus thoracis</i> was subjected to sous-vide at 55 °C and 65 °C for 4 and 24 h (16 half-carcasses × 2 temperature settings × 2 time settings = 64 samples). Chemical composition, physicochemical properties, color parameters, hem pigment levels, texture characteristics, and sensory properties were analyzed. Compared to sous-vide samples, traditionally cooked foal meat exhibited higher weight loss (<i>p</i> = 0.002), higher fat content (<i>p</i> = 0.003), and lower water content (<i>p</i> = 0.03). Significant improvements in tenderness were observed in sous-vide samples, with the lowest shear force values (52.86 N/cm² at 55 °C and 48.39 N/cm² at 65 °C; <i>p</i> = 0.001) and meat hardness (102.44 N and 101.27 N, respectively; <i>p</i> = 0.015) after 24 h of thermal processing. Moreover, sous-vide cooking significantly improved sensory properties of foal meat, particularly juiciness (<i>p</i> = 0.002), tenderness (<i>p</i> = 0.002), and flavor desirability (<i>p</i> = 0.03), which were highly rated by consumers.