Dry aging meat cattle: Review

Abstract

In Brazil, there is a predominance of the participation of zebu genetics, this fact associated with production on pasture and the fact that the animals maintain weight or even lose weight during the dry season and their age at advanced slaughter are some of the factors that make the meat these animals have less tenderness, an attribute much demanded by consumers. Thus, the maturation process is very important, as it is a technique that aims to improve the tenderness of the meat, and practically all the meat consumed nowadays has undergone some level of maturation until the final product is formed. And within this market, there is dry matured meat, which is the product of aging unpacked meat under controlled conditions of temperature, relative humidity and air circulation and despite a procedure that involves a high cost, it improves tenderness and the flavor of the meat. Even though it is not a cheap procedure and requires better quality meat, with a certain level of marbling, this type of maturation is very interesting, especially when we consider market niches. Considering the importance of the maturation process for meat quality, the aim of this review was to discuss the main aspects related to dry maturation or “Dry Aging”.