{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]],"date-time":"2026-02-19T17:56:23Z","timestamp":1771523783399,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"24","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,18]],"date-time":"2023-12-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1702857600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["UIDB\/CVT\/00772\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["UIDB\/CVT\/00772\/2020"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["LA\/P\/0059\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["LA\/P\/0059\/2020"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Beef dry-aging consists of a selection of unpackaged prime cuts placed in a controlled environment cold room for several weeks. The goals are to concentrate flavors like nutty and beefy and to improve tenderness. The aim of this study was to verify the microbiological and physicochemical behavior and sensory perception of meat during a sample process example of meat dry-aging. Twelve beef loins were selected for 90 days of dry aging and placed in a cold room with average temperature, relative humidity and forced air 3.2 \u00b1 0.7 \u00b0C, 60.7 \u00b1 4.2% and 0.5\u20132 m\/s, respectively. Samples of crust and lean meat were collected on days 1, 14, 21, 35, 60 and 90 of the dry aging process for microbiological, physicochemical (pH, aw, color L*a*b*) and sensory analysis. During drying, no pathogenic bacteria were detected, and the average counts were higher for the crust. The average values for water activity (aw) and pH were 0.98 \u00b1 0.02 and 5.77 \u00b1 0.015, respectively. A slight decrease in aw and an increase in pH were observed over the aging period (p &lt; 0.05). The lower microbial counts on the lean meat and the overall assessment of freshness confirm the importance of good manufacturing and storage practices during dry aging.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods12244514","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,18]],"date-time":"2023-12-18T08:55:29Z","timestamp":1702889729000},"page":"4514","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Microbial, Physicochemical Profile and Sensory Perception of Dry-Aged Beef Quality: A Preliminary Portuguese Contribution to the Validation of the Dry Aging Process"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6929-8138","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ana","family":"Ribeiro","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"CECAV\u2013Veterinary and Animal Science Research Centre, University of Tr\u00e1s-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"},{"name":"AL4AnimalS\u2014Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"},{"name":"Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, University of Tr\u00e1s-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9065-4336","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Irene","family":"Oliveira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mathematics, School of Science and Technology, University of Tr\u00e1s-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"},{"name":"EMAT (Center for Computational and Stochastic Mathematics), IST-UL, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Kamila","family":"Soares","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CECAV\u2013Veterinary and Animal Science Research Centre, University of Tr\u00e1s-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"},{"name":"AL4AnimalS\u2014Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"},{"name":"Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, University of Tr\u00e1s-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6602-0926","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Filipe","family":"Silva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CECAV\u2013Veterinary and Animal Science Research Centre, University of Tr\u00e1s-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"},{"name":"AL4AnimalS\u2014Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"},{"name":"Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, University of Tr\u00e1s-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6296-5137","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paula","family":"Teixeira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CBQFCentro de Biotecnologia e Qu\u00edmica Fina\u2014Laborat\u00f3rio Associado, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Cat\u00f3lica Portuguesa, Rua Diogo Botelho 1327, 4169-005 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1657-0684","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cristina","family":"Saraiva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CECAV\u2013Veterinary and Animal Science Research Centre, University of Tr\u00e1s-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"},{"name":"AL4AnimalS\u2014Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"},{"name":"Department of Veterinary Sciences, School of Agrarian and Veterinary Sciences, University of Tr\u00e1s-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2944","DOI":"10.1111\/1750-3841.14813","article-title":"Identification of Microorganisms Associated with the Quality Improvement of Dry-Aged Beef Through Microbiome Analysis and DNA Sequencing, and Evaluation of Their Effects on Beef Quality","volume":"84","author":"Oh","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Food Sci."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dashdorj, D., Tripathi, V.K., Cho, S., Kim, Y., and Hwang, I. (2016). Dry aging of beef; Review. J. Anim. Sci. Technol., 58.","DOI":"10.1186\/s40781-016-0101-9"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"110020","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2020.110020","article-title":"Dry-aged beef manufactured in Japan: Microbiota identification and their effects on product characteristics","volume":"140","author":"Mikami","year":"2021","journal-title":"Food Res. Int."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"285","DOI":"10.1016\/j.meatsci.2018.07.004","article-title":"Dry-aging improves meat quality attributes of grass-fed beef loins","volume":"145","author":"Berger","year":"2018","journal-title":"Meat Sci."},{"key":"ref_5","first-page":"131","article-title":"Microbiological, rheological and physical-chemical characteristics of bovine meat subjected to a prolonged ageing period","volume":"8","author":"Smaldone","year":"2019","journal-title":"Ital. J. Food Saf."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kim, S., Kim, J.-C., Park, S., Kim, J., Yoon, Y., and Lee, H. (2021). Identification of microbial flora in dry aged beef to evaluate the rancidity during dry aging. Processes, 9.","DOI":"10.3390\/pr9112049"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"108365","DOI":"10.1016\/j.meatsci.2020.108365","article-title":"Ultimate pH effects on dry-aged beef quality","volume":"172","author":"Ribeiro","year":"2021","journal-title":"Meat Sci."},{"key":"ref_8","first-page":"e07745","article-title":"Microbiological safety of aged meat","volume":"21","author":"Koutsoumanis","year":"2023","journal-title":"EFSA J."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105","DOI":"10.4014\/jmb.1708.08065","article-title":"Diversity and characteristics of the meat microbiological community on dry aged beef","volume":"28","author":"Ryu","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Microbiol. Biotechnol."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"468","DOI":"10.5851\/kosfa.2021.e11","article-title":"Evaluation of probiotic characteristics of newly isolated lactic acid bacteria from dry-aged hanwoo beef","volume":"41","author":"Kim","year":"2021","journal-title":"Korean J. Food Sci. Anim. Resour."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gowda, T.K., De Zutter, L., Van Royen, G., and Van Damme, I. (2022). Exploring the microbiological quality and safety of dry-aged beef: A cross-sectional study of loin surfaces during ripening and dry-aged beef steaks from commercial meat companies in Belgium. Food Microbiol., 102.","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fm.2021.103919"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"107884","DOI":"10.1016\/j.meatsci.2019.107884","article-title":"Effect of different dry aging temperatures on Listeria innocua as surrogate for Listeria monocytogenes","volume":"157","author":"Pena","year":"2019","journal-title":"Meat Sci."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"54","DOI":"10.5851\/kosfa.2019.e3","article-title":"Effects of aging and aging method on physicochemical and sensory traits of different beef cuts","volume":"39","author":"Kim","year":"2019","journal-title":"Korean J. Food Sci. Anim. Resour."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"168","DOI":"10.1016\/j.meatsci.2015.09.008","article-title":"Effects of dry-aging on meat quality attributes and metabolite profiles of beef loins","volume":"111","author":"Kim","year":"2016","journal-title":"Meat Sci."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"108528","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodres.2019.108528","article-title":"Effects of different ageing methods on colour, yield, oxidation and sensory qualities of Australian beef loins consumed in Australia and Japan","volume":"125","author":"Ha","year":"2019","journal-title":"Food Res. Int."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"631","DOI":"10.1016\/j.meatsci.2007.10.028","article-title":"Dry versus wet aging of beef: Retail cutting yields and consumer palatability evaluations of steaks from US Choice and US Select short loins","volume":"79","author":"Smith","year":"2008","journal-title":"Meat Sci."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"229","DOI":"10.1016\/j.meatsci.2013.05.009","article-title":"Meat quality, microbiological status and consumer preference of beef gluteus medius aged in a dry ageing bag or vacuum","volume":"95","author":"Li","year":"2013","journal-title":"Meat Sci."},{"key":"ref_18","first-page":"3887","article-title":"Implementation of multivariate techniques for the selection of volatile compounds as indicators of sensory quality of raw beef","volume":"52","author":"Saraiva","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Food Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_19","first-page":"1","article-title":"A Survey of Microbial Communities on Dry-Aged Beef in Commercial Meat Processing Facilities","volume":"5","author":"Capouya","year":"2020","journal-title":"Meat Muscle Biol."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"433","DOI":"10.1016\/j.meatsci.2014.03.014","article-title":"A comparative study of beef quality after ageing longissimus muscle using a dry ageing bag, traditional dry ageing or vacuum package ageing","volume":"97","author":"Li","year":"2014","journal-title":"Meat Sci."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"674","DOI":"10.1016\/j.meatsci.2006.03.006","article-title":"Dry aging of beef in a bag highly permeable to water vapour","volume":"73","author":"Seyfert","year":"2006","journal-title":"Meat Sci."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4375","DOI":"10.1111\/1750-3841.16761","article-title":"Metabolic and microbial analyses of the surface and inner part of wet-aged and dry-aged beef","volume":"88","author":"Bischof","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Food Sci."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kim, H.C., Baek, K.H., Ko, Y.-J., Lee, H.J., Yim, D.-G., and Jo, C. (2020). Characteristic Metabolic Changes of the Crust from Dry-Aged Beef Using 2D NMR Spectroscopy. Molecules, 25.","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules25133087"}],"container-title":["Foods"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2304-8158\/12\/24\/4514\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T21:40:50Z","timestamp":1760132450000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2304-8158\/12\/24\/4514"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,18]]},"references-count":23,"journal-issue":{"issue":"24","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,12]]}},"alternative-id":["foods12244514"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/foods12244514","relation":{},"ISSN":["2304-8158"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2304-8158","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,18]]}}}