Effect of postmortem injection time of calcium chloride on mutton quality traits

The quality attribute of meat from spent sheep was subjected to tenderization protocol to improve its end utilization. Calcium chloride (CaCl₂ 200 mM) was injected in Semi membranous muscle of sheep in pre rigor (30 min after slaughter) and post rigor (24 h after slaughter) meat. Thereafter the samples were aged for 7 days at 4±1°C. Post rigor meat had significantly (P<0.05) lower pH values than the pre rigor meat. The water holding capacity decreased in CaCl₂ injected samples whereas the cook loss per cent increased. Regardless of time of injection, shear force value was reduced (P<0.05) in CaCl₂, injected sample compared to the control. The sensory traits, particularly colour and odour ratings were lower for CaCl₂ treated meat while tenderness score improved in treated sample. The study indicated that injection of 200 mM CaCl₂ in pre rigor or post rigor mutton improved tenderness of meat from older sheep.