Muscle fiber area and warner bratzler shear force (WBSF) value of Aceh cattle semitendinosus muscle

Aceh cattle serves as the first choice in providing beef in Aceh Province, Indonesia. This study was aimed to measure the area of muscle fibers in Aceh cattle and its correlation with the meat tenderness. The study used semitendinosus muscle samples from four Aceh bulls aged 18-30 months with an average body weight of 320.75±71.41 kg. The paraffin sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, while muscle samples were processed for meat tenderness measurement. The measurement of the area of muscle fibers was carried out under a light microscope and by using IMAGE J software, while the analysis of meat tenderness was done using the Warner-Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF). The results were compared with reference values in Bali cattle and Ongole grade cattle. The average area (μm2) of muscle fibers in Aceh cattle was 2 752.17 (95% CI: 1 334.34-4 170.00). This value is not different from those of Bali cattle and Ongole grade cattle. WBSF value (kg cm−2) in Aceh cattle was 9.35 (95% CI: 4.21-14.49). The average of WBSF value in Aceh cattle was higher but not significantly different from those of Bali cattle and Ongole grade cattle. The study concluded that beef of Aceh cattle is as tender as the beef of Bali and Ongole grade cattle.