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• Aging of Beef
The aging of beef is a natural process that improves the tenderness and flavor of beef. Aging is a natural process that happens in all muscle tissues. Muscles have natural enzymes within them and these enzymes fracture specific proteins in the muscle fibers. The fracturing of the protein strands in the muscles leads to the improved tenderness of the beef. Once the steer/heifer is harvested, the tenderness of the meat decreases for about the first 3 days. On about the 6th day of aging the meat is back to the same tenderness as it was at the time of harvest. From then to the tenth day of aging is when the meat tenderizes the most. The tenderness of the meat does not change much after the tenth day of aging.

With commodity beef, except for the ribs and loins that are used in restaurants, beef is usually aged for less than 7 days. When the requirements for Ohio Signature Beef were being formed, our producers knew the importance of time-tested aging of beef to beef’s tenderness. They wanted to differentiate Ohio Signature Beef from commodity beef so they required that Ohio Signature Beef be aged for a minimum of 7 days so consumers could have the pleasure of eating a tender beef cut like we have always enjoyed out of our own freezer. With Ohio Signature Beef, we allow the entire carcass to age for a minimum of 7 days. In essence, by the time the carcass is cut into wholesale cuts and delivered to the retailer, it has aged for more than 7 days allowing the consumer to enjoy a tender cut of Ohio Signature Beef.

One form of aging beef is wet aging. This consists of putting the wholesale cut in a vacuum package and storing that package in a refrigerated room. Wet aging is the most widespread form of aging beef today. The beef industry went to this form of aging about 25 years ago because it is a more efficient way of aging beef because there is little to no loss due to shrinkage or trim loss as well as it is easier to store and transport. Wet aging gives beef a different flavor when compared to aged beef. Wet aged beef has a more bloody/serumy and metallic flavor.

Aging is the process where an entire carcass or wholesale cut (rib or loin), without any type of covering on it, is placed in a refrigerated room with specific temperature, humidity, and air velocity. This is the way all beef used to be aged and this is why the producers of Ohio Signature Beef took the traditional approach to the aging of beef. We wanted to provide Ohio Signature Beef consumers with the value of time tested aging of beef we enjoyed growing up as children. It is less efficient because there is more shrinkage due to the evaporation of moisture from the meat as well as there is more trim loss. Due to the loss of moisture in the meat, it leads to a more intense beef flavor or a more brown-roasted beefy flavor. The aging of beef also helps bring out the natural corn-fed flavor that was the benchmark for corn-belt families for decades. This is one reason why Ohio Signature Beef has a distinct flavor difference when compared to commodity beef.

Information obtained from:
Beef Facts: Aging of Beef
By: F.C. Parrish, Jr., Ph.D.
Department of Animal Science
Iowa State University