Quality Characteristics of Horse Meat from Different Anatomical Locations

After frozen storage(-18 ℃),muscles at different anatomical locations(shoulder muscle,gluteus and Longissimus dorsi) of Yili horse carcass were examined for chemical composition,pH,color parameters,tenderness,thawing drip loss,cooking loss,water holding capacity and collagen content.The results showed that the contents of moisture and crude fat,thawing drip loss,cooking loss and water holding capacity exhibited an extremely significant difference among muscles from the anatomical locations(P0.01) and pH and color parameters presented a significant difference(P0.05).The different anatomical locations had a great influence on the contents of moisture and crude fat,thawing drip loss,cooking loss and water holding capacity.Longissimus dorsi had the highest moisture content,and higher contents of crude fat and collagen and pH,but lower thawing drip loss,cooking loss and water holding capacity.Moreover,it displayed a bright red color and higher tenderness,indicating desired eating quality.