Abstract：The shear force and muscle fiber characteristics as well as correlation between both of ribeyes of 36-month-old
Yanbian yellow cattle were analyzed. The results obtained showed that the shear force of beef ribeye exhibited an overall
downward trend with postmortem aging time, and was affected by both aging time and quality grade significantly (P＜0.05).
Moreover, with prolonged aging time, the muscle fiber density and myofibril fragmentation index (MFI) were increased,
while muscle fiber area and diameter were reduced, thereby improving the tenderness. Both aging time and quality grade
had a significant impact on muscle fiber characteristics (P＜0.05). Various quality grades were ranked in decreasing order
of tenderness: prime 1+ ＞ 1st choice ＞ 2nd choice ＞ ordinary, indicating that beef tenderness can be improved by aging and
the higher quality grade, the better tenderness.
2013, Vol. 27 
