Effects of Dry Aging Times on the Quality of Yak Meat

To investigate the changes in the quality of yak meat at different dry aging times (7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 d), in this study, sensory evaluation, texture analysis, and GC-IMS were employed to investigate the changes in texture and flavor of yak meat during different dry aging periods. Additionally, PLS-DA was utilized to identify the characteristic flavor compounds. The results showed that the dry aged 35 days sample exhibited the highest comprehensive score, with intact soft tissue structure and a favorable overall acceptability of aroma. The dry aging time had significant effects on the hardness, chewability, and adhesivity of yak meat (P