The effect of repeated freeze–thaw cycles on tenderness and cooking loss in beef

When beef neck muscle, maintained at rest length, was subjected to repeated freezing and thawing, the increases in tenderness were small and significant only when taken in aggregate after two or three cycles. Cooking losses rose steeply after freezing once. There was a very small but significant rise after further cycles. Aging did not affect cooking loss. The rate of aging in meat after freezing and thawing increased, approaching significance. There were large variations in the ability of different samples to be tenderised by freezing or by aging.