Meat quality and consumers perception of dry and wet-aged beef from autochthonous cattle breed and their crosses

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dry and wet ageing methods on meat colour, pH, oxidative parameters and consumers perception of Sardo-Bruna (SB), Limousine and their crosses. Loins (Longissimus thoracis et lumborum, LTL) and thighs (Semimembranosus, SM) from 30 yearling beef cattle, grouped by genetic type (10 SB, 10 Limousine and 10 Limousine × SB) and sex, were trimmed 48 h post-mortem. Loins were aged using two systems: (a) dry ageing (air velocity 0.5 m/s, temperature 1 °C and 85% relative humidity) for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days; (b) wet ageing, in which loins were vacuum-packed and stored at 2 °C for 20 days after the same ageing durations. Thighs were subjected to dry ageing for nine days. Dry-aged LTL at 21 days exhibited similar characteristics to that aged at 28 days, with no significant effects of genetic type. As ageing time progressed, a reduction in oxidative stability and an increase in pH were observed. The sensory panel gave higher MQ4 scores for dry-aged LTL and SM muscles from females than males, and for LTL aged 21 days compared to seven days. Wet-aged LTL muscle at seven days exhibited the highest a* and b* colour parameters, while wet-aged LTL at 21 days showed similar a* and b* values to those aged at 28 days. Given the lack of significant differences among genetic types, our results suggest that a 21-day ageing period is optimal for enhancing consumer-perceived quality in loin cuts, regardless of breed.