Effect of postmortem ageing on quality parameters, contents of proteins, lipids and 25-hydroxyvitamin D and oxidative stability in the camel meat during cold storage

The effect of ageing was evaluated on quality parameters (pH, electrical conductivity (EC), osmolality, drip loss (DL) and cooking loss (CL)), proteins, fat and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-D) total levels and antioxidant status (malondialdehyde (MDA) and catalase (CAT) activity) in meat of camels during storage at 4 ± 1 °C. Samples were taken from the brachial triceps muscle (triceps barchii) and were stored at 4 ± 1 °C for 10 d. Quality parameters, chemical composition and antioxidant status were assessed at 3 h and 24 h postslaughter and 5, 7 and 10 d postmortem during cold storage. CAT activity significantly decreased while osmolality, EC, DL, CL and MDA contents significantly increased, from the 5th or 7th postmortem day of cold storage of the camel meat. However, proteins, lipids and 25-OH-D total contents showed no significant differences during all period of ageing. In conclusion, in the dromedary camel, ageing time of triceps muscle influenced significantly its quality characteristics and antioxidant status from the 5th or 7th postmortem day of refrigerated storage, without any variation of proteins, fat and 25-OH-D contents.