Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Technologia Alimentaria

Abstract The paper had the objective of determining the physicochemical parameters of colt meat during a five-day long cold storage, tantamount to its turnover period to, or time of its reaching, the western-European countries. Samples of the longest dorsal muscle from 29 colts 1.5-2 years old, from commercial breeding were investigated. Colt meat is characterized by high content of water and protein and low content of fat. That meat re-quires a longer period for ‘maturing’ and, with its value pH, indicates a potential for stor-age in cold condition for at least five days. Moreover, a five day maturing of colt meat in cold storage raises its water holding capacity, usability for processing and improves meat tenderness, as well as causes a dramatic darkening of meat color.