RESUMO
Bos taurus indicus bulls are very susceptible to pre-slaughter stress, which directly impacts the decline in muscle pH, leading to darker meat. The aim was to investigate the effect of succinate and atmosphere on the color stability of Nellore (Bos taurus indicus) Longissimus lumborum steaks classified by ultimate pH (pHu): normal pHu (5.40 ≤ pHu ≤ 5.79) and high pHu (pHu ≥ 5.80). The experimental treatment systems were: (i) vacuum packaging without succinate injection, (ii) HiOx-MAP (80 % O2 + 20 % CO2), and (iii) HiOx-MAP (80 % O2 + 20 % CO2) enhanced with sodium succinate injection (pH 5.4). Steaks from all treatment systems were stored at 4 °C for 14 days and tested for instrumental color, myoglobin content, oxygen consumption (OC), metmyoglobin-reducing activity (MRA), lipid oxidation, and microbiological analysis. High and normal pHu vacuum-packaged steaks exhibited greater color stability due to higher MRA. High and normal pHu steaks packaged with HiOx-MAP or HiOx-MAP enhanced with succinate showed improved color due to lower deoxymyoglobin content (%DMb) and OC up to the eighth day of storage. Still, succinate injection promoted increased (P < 0.05) lipid oxidation in normal pHu steaks and reduced MRA after 14 days. These findings emphasize the intricate interplay between pHu and packaging systems on Bos taurus indicus meat quality. Further research in this area could contribute to a better understanding of meat color abnormalities and provide insights into potential meat preservation and enhancement strategies.